Retribution
by wolfteam000
Summary: Jellal raised a hand, fingers brushing her shoulder briefly. It was then the world around him exploded and when Erza turned around at the commotion, Jellal was already gone in a whirlwind. - A take on the aftermath of the Edolas arc
1. Rearrange

**Rearrange**

Jellal made his way to the meeting room slowly. He still had time to spare after all. Smiling to himself, he allowed himself to relax. It had been a successful ascension to the throne, even more so as he had kept his past, including his identity as Mystogan, a secret. Many had witnessed his triumph over the 'evil Lord Dragneel', but none would be able to recall what he looked like at the time, and none would even know what he looked like with his bandana and mask on as Mystogan.

His hand closed around the door handle. Now, it was time for him to fulfill his duty as King of Edolas to rebuild the kingdom in the absence of magic. Steadying himself, he turned it and walked in. There were already four people seated around the table and all four stood up and bowed as he entered.

Waving a hand, Jellal took a seat before speaking.

"I called this meeting today is so that arrangements can be made regarding the army. As Pantherlily is no longer here, the first division will now be led by Mystogan." Jellal nodded towards said person in acknowledgment. Raising a hand to silence the interruptions, he continued. "Mystogan is a…close acquaintance of mine from Earthland and I trust him with my life."

The others did not speak but Jellal could sense their distrust. Ignoring it, he carried on. "The other divisions will remain the same, but now Hughes' team will be in charge of the safety of the town, Sugarboy's team will be in charge of the castle's security". He looked over towards his right, catching the eye of the stunning redhead next to him. "And Knightwalker's team will be in charge of foreign affairs."

Erza Knightwalker, captain of the second division of the Edolas army, nodded curtly. It was very well known that she did not like or trust the new king but she still remained loyal to Edolas. Clearly she also resented the fact that a mere stranger was appointed captain of the first division but she did not voice her concerns. Standing up, she turned to leave. An obvious sign of disrespect as the king had not dismissed her.

Jellal grimaced. Coldly, he uttered two words. "Captain Knightwalker."

Erza paused. Turning slowly, she glared at him. He could see it in her eyes. The silent challenge there, taunting him to make a false step. Jellal couldn't help but grin at her blatant defiance. He had always held a soft spot for Erza ever since he had arrived at Fairy Tail seven years ago. The captain was obviously getting irritated and Jellal grinned even more.

"I wouldn't stand near that door at the moment if I were you."

As if on cue, the door was flung open, narrowly missing Erza's face by inches, and a man swept into the room.

"How's it all going guys? Did you miss me?" The blonde boomed.

Hughes laughed heartily and slapped his knee. "Laxus! What are you doing here?"

The blue haired man stood up and slapped Laxus on the back. "Captain Dreyar is back because I recalled him from the border. Division five will be my bodyguards, directly under my command."

Laxus rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, whatever man." His eyes suddenly landed on the masked person behind him. "Dude, who that heck is that?" he asked, pointing a finger at Mystogan in a dramatic fashion.

Jellal shook his head. "Meeting dismissed. Captain Dreyar, stay behind." Laxus grinned knowingly as the other three captains filed out.

Jellal did not speak as he regarded the captains, especially the second division captain. He inhaled deeply. The way her hips swayed temptingly and the way her amber hair fell over her shoulders was enough to make him swallow nervously. She turned ever so slightly for a brief moment before continuing on her way, oblivious to his stares.

As the door eased shut, Mystogan stood up. Jellal's image slowly faded partially into transparency before flickering out of sight. A hand reached up to pull off the bandana and the mask. Laxus grinned widely.

"A thought projection, nice move." Laxus nodded approvingly. He slapped a hand against Mystogan's. "Now, you have some explaining to do after leaving your best friend here alone for seven years."

Mystogan smiled. "I'm a mage. I've been a mage for seven years." He glanced out the window, "I like fighting. I want to be on the frontlines, fighting to protect what is mine." He turned back to face his friend. "They will never allow the king to go to the frontlines or into enemy territory. But with Mystogan as my alias, I can have the freedom to do what I want."

The blonde smiled encouragingly and placed a hand on the other's shoulder before steering him towards the balcony. "Come, we have seven years worth to catch up on." Mystogan laughed softly. Laxus grinned.

"So, you like Knightwalker, don't you?"

The next thing he knew, Laxus was flying through the air, having been tossed off the balcony, laughter echoing in his ears.

* * *

Erza hated the fact that she had to obey the king's orders. He had escaped from his duty for seven years before appearing suddenly and taking the throne from his father. Yet he was still a coward, a weakling who did not deserve her respect. She did not trust his judgement either, especially his appointment of the first division captain. Her eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to remember what Mystogan had looked like. She shook her head. It didn't matter. He was weakling as well.

The red head turned the corner just to see Mystogan leave the meeting room. He looked up and nodded. Erza strode forward.

"Mystogan," she murmured. "You and I need a little talk now."

The man nodded once more and they set off for the town's nearest bar.

* * *

He held the door open as Erza strode in. Ignoring all of the lustful glances sent her way, she settled down at a table in the corner. The masked captain followed her, cape billowing gently behind him. He waved a hand and the bar tender scuttled off to get some sake for his latest customers.

As the waiter placed the small, transparent cups before them, Erza growled, "Why don't you start by telling me who you are, Mystogan?" She did not hate the captain as much as she did the king, but she was willing to give Mystogan a chance, unlike the king.

Mystogan calmly took the sake and poured out some for his companion and himself. "I will tell you what you need to know, no more no less." He pushed a glass towards Erza and continued, "I was a S-class mage of Earthland Fairy Tail but now I serve under King Jellal." He looked up at the red head. "End of story."

Erza withdrew her sword from her sheath and stabbed it into the chair between them. She threatened him, "You'd better remain loyal to Edolas, or else I'll personally kill you."

Mystogan slipped the drink under his mask. "So be it," he bit back tersely, unfazed by her aggression. He did not waste time on meaningless words, instead allowing Erza to come to a conclusion.

Erza sheathed her sword. Her companion was apparently a strong fighter and was not one to be intimidated easily. He knew what he wanted. Erza grinned. She was beginning to like this guy.

Mystogan took his time studying Erza's features, memorizing each carefully. She had not lowered her guard but she was less hostile to him than before or as Jellal. He groaned silently but opted to continue drinking. He would find out the reason behind her hatred for the king, but not today. Maybe someday later. Someday.


	2. Reaction

**Reaction**

The soft wind ruffled through his blue hair, caressing the loose strands hanging down. Mystogan breathed in deeply. Tired green eyes surveyed the land before him before landing on a certain red head who was training in the training grounds just to his left. Mystogan placed both hands onto the balcony railing as his best friend spoke up.

"So, what do you think about the ball tonight?"

Mystogan groaned. "Damn old geezers. Why are they so worked up about finding a wife for me?" His grip tightened. "I'm just 24."

Laxus smirked, "Are you sure you're not irritated about it because you've already set your sights on someone?" He leaned back slightly, avoiding the swipe that Mystogan had aimed at him. Waving a hand, he continued. "They say that the princess of Devlin is coming." Seeing Mystogan's clueless expression, he elaborated further. "You know, Lady Urtear? She's supposedly the one who is most eligible, according to the gossip that I'm picking up." The blonde man hoisted himself up onto the railing, one hand on his bent knee and the other threading through his locks. With a twinkle in his eye, he grinned mischievously. "You do know they have a betting pool in the palace right?" Laxus laughed and mused, "I do believe that Knightwalker isn't even on the list, but that's to be expected, right? She hates you."

Mystogan closed his eyes. "You're not helping, Laxus." He proceeded to sit on the balcony railing as well, brows furrowed in concentration "Anyway, about Devlin. Hasn't rumours been going around that they want to invade us since we've lost magic?"

The fifth division captain nodded seriously. "That's why you better be careful tonight. Don't aggravate their princess just because of your whims. Pay a bit more attention to her."

The king reached into his pocket and pulled out his bandana and mask. Tying both securely, he called out.

"Coco!"

A minute later, a bare footed girl shot into the room with amazing speed. Saluting, she chimed, "Yes sir."

Mystogan knelt down to her level. Ignoring her look of surprise, he reached into his pocket again and pulled out a bottle and a letter. Placing both in her hand, he straightened up.

"Will you please take this bottle down to the lab? See if they can analyze the compound and start mass production as soon as possible. Then after you're done with that, would you deliver that to Captain Knightwalker please? It's a royal document from the king."

At the mention of her beloved king, Coco straightened up even more, saluted stiffly and left the room in a whirlwind.

Mystogan padded back to the balcony, where Laxus was deep in thought. As Mystogan picked up his staffs and starting strapping them to his back. A muscular hand stopped him in his tracks. The blue haired man looked up quizzically. Laxus' eyes were troubled and he asked, "You're sending division two to scout out Devlin, aren't you?" Mystogan did not answer and Laxus let out a deep sigh. "Jellal, I know division two is in charge of foreign affairs, but the ball's tonight and sending them out to Devlin after the ball is not a good idea. There's a high chance you'll blow all chances of diplomacy." Laxus looked towards the training grounds. "And you know that Knightwalker is going to take the task personally, just to prove to you that she's capable of everything you throw at her." The air around them seemed to crackle slightly. "You know damn well that you're making this decision based on how you feel, not what you think is best."

Mystogan smiled. "She's the best out of the division, she won't fail. There's nothing to worry about." And in one swift motion, he leapt off the balcony, falling down three stories where he landed lightly and safely on his feet, leaving Laxus fuming up on the balcony. Sparing a brief glance upwards, he headed towards the training grounds.

* * *

Up. Down. Turn and parry before stabbing. Erza mechanically repeated these motions, gradually increasing the speed of the cycle until her hands were a blur. Pausing to take a breath, she sat down on the dirt, panting slightly. Her mind had been wandering again. Mystogan. She didn't know why but lately, all she could think about was him. She knew that she didn't love him, that much was clear. However, she couldn't help but notice how it was that he seemed to understand her as a fellow captain, a fellow solider. He alone knew about things such as duty, honour, pride. Although he rarely spoke, he could convey feelings and thoughts just through simple sentences and she respected his no-nonsense attitude. His mysterious aura also intrigued her.

Erza took a sip from her water flask. Standing up, she took up her spear and whirled around, throwing it with all her might. She smirked. Mystogan was standing behind her, two fingers squeezing the tip of the offending weapon.

His deep, baritone voice rang out softly but clearly.

"You sensed me."

The female captain tossed her hair back.

"Of course, I heard you miles away."

His eyes gleamed with amusement at her proud actions and he congratulated himself on having the sense to change into loose black pants and long combat boots in place of his leg guards. This would allow for easier movement.

"Well, looks like I may have to regain my honour now. How about it?" he challenged her.

Erza Knightwalker did not respond verbally. Instead she unsheathed her sword and lunged forward without warning. Mystogan sidestepped her attack easily and pulled out his staff to parry her blows. The thrill coursed through his body with every blow dealt. She was strong no doubt. Every hit was positioned to push him backwards and every evasion was utilized fully to try to attack from his blind spots. A slash aimed at his left side caused the man to pull out his sword to parry as well but a well aimed kick from him sent the red haired captain flying and smashing into the rocky walls surrounding them. Mystogan twirled his sword expertly. It was time to get serious.

Cape billowing behind him, he clashed with his opponent again, swords locked tightly. Being the stronger one, he started to push her back but Erza shifted her weight to the left, causing him to overshoot and stumble forward. Raising his hand, he brought the sword behind his back, blocking Erza's blow while turning around and lashing out with his fist. Erza caught his wrist and smiled before twisting it. Gasping, Mystogan swung his right hand, bringing the sword down to her waist, forcing her to let go and leap backwards.

Mystogan winced as he rubbed his sore wrist. She sure didn't hold back. Maybe he shouldn't either. He sheathed his sword.

Erza's eyes narrowed, "Are you taking it easy on me?"

Mystogan chuckled. "On the contrary, I'm not. Fighting with a sword was never my strongest point." With that said, he sped towards her. Ducking the swipe at his head, he smashed his fist into her lower abdomen, grimacing slightly at the look of pain on her face. His sentiment did not last long as she stabbed downwards, slicing down his back. Luckily, he had moved forwards at the nick of time so that her sword penetrated through his cloak, ripping it instead of shredding his back. A surge of adrenaline swelled up in his chest and he shot forward, one arm wrapped around her waist as they crashed into the wall again. With practiced ease, he seized her wrist and pinned her left hand above her head, the other holding his blade against the tip of her throat.

For a moment there was nothing but silence except for Mystogan's heavy breathing. Erza was panting slightly, face flushed after the fight. Mystogan was well aware of their close proximity and he swallowed nervously. Her hair was disheveled, mouth parted slightly as she breathed in and out. He was insanely tempted to just capture her lips right now but he held his breath. His eyes moved downwards. Erza was wearing her usual attire of bikini top and bottom with a loin cloth around her waist, exposing every beautiful curve and her long, smooth, creamy thighs. Beads of sweat glistened on her body as her chest rose and fell steadily. His breathing grew more uneven when she shifted her legs slightly and he could feel his pants tightening slightly.

It was at that moment that he finally realized the extent of his infatuation. He loved everything about her. The way she moved, the way she acted, the way she spoke. The way she would flick her hair out of her eyes when she was irritated, the way she would relax ever so slightly whenever he was alone with her, the way she would pretend not to care about anything or anyone but her eyes would reflect the concern she held for him. He loved the fact that he was probably the only one who could see the softer side of her, especially as she guarded her heart more than anything. It was the little things that made him love her so much.

"Mystogan." Erza murmured. The man snapped out of his stupor and stared dumbly at his opponent, momentarily lost in his thoughts. A gleeful smile blossomed over her face as she lifted her perfectly positioned leg up, bringing her armoured knee crashing straight into Mystogan's groin.

The blue haired captain let out a strangled cry of pain and fell backwards, clutching his throbbing crotch. His entire body was shaking uncontrollably and he squeezed his eyes shut, letting out gasps of agony.

"Son of a…" he wheezed weakly, "Are you trying to render me infertile?"

Erza smiled smugly and placed a foot on his head, pinning him down, not that it was necessary. "Do you surrender?"

"Damn it…"

Mystogan had resorted to pounding the ground in pain as he grunted his reply. Erza's cockiness wavered slightly as she surveyed the damage done. A patter of footsteps distracted her and she diverted her attention to the approaching girl.

Coco saluted stiffly, ignoring the squirming man on the ground and handed a letter to the second division captain. Erza dismissed her with a wave of her hand and she opened the letter to read it. She looked pleased after reading the contents of the letter and she pocketed it just as Mystogan managed to struggle to his feet.

"I think we should go back now if we're going to make it in time for the ball."

Mystogan hobbled awkwardly over to her, using his staff as support and the both of them started for the castle. A comfortable silence settled between them for a while. Erza glanced over at her companion subtly, wondering to herself what he looked behind the mask. Maybe he would show his face during the ball. After all, it would seem quite weird showing up in a mask and bandana for such a large scale formal function. Casually, she asked, "So, are you going to the ball tonight?"

She swore that she could see a flicker of unrecognizable emotion pass through his eyes before being replaced by what she could safely describe as disappointment. He pulled up his mask even further before replying.

"Are you?"

Erza was taken aback at his answer. She nodded.

"Yes. But I'm leaving on a mission right after that."

He did not react but she could sense his uneasiness and worry and she could almost hear him whisper a 'be careful' as he opened the gates to the castle for her. She turned around to say something to him but stopped just as someone approached from the side.

Laxus looked at the both of them and grinned instead. Growling, Erza stalked off back towards the palace to her room. Whistling loudly, the blonde slapped Mystogan on the shoulder.

"So, did she kick your ass?"

Mystogan winced at his poor choice of words. "No," he muttered, "she chose somewhere a lot more painful."

"Shit man."

"I know."

* * *

**So, Devlin is actually a judge in real life – Lord Devlin. Um, I got sloppy towards the ending and I find it so hard to deviate between Erza and Mystogan's POV, and Mystogan and Jellal's POV. I'm trying to emphasize the difference between Erza and Mystogan, and Erza and Jellal. Yep, this chapter was longer than expected so I decided to push the last part of this planned chapter to the next chapter. Yay for extra chapters!**


	3. Reassert

**Note: Jellal is wearing what Kururugi Suzaku is wearing as the Knight of Seven, Urtear as in chapter 210 and 212, and Erza is wearing something similar to the dress she wore in the casino in the Tower Of Paradise Arc**

**Reassert**

"_So, are you going to the ball tonight?" _

_A flicker of unrecognizable emotion passed through his eyes before being replaced by disappointment. He would go, but not as Mystogan. He would go as her hated enemy. He pulled up his mask even further before replying._

"_Are you?"_

_He was pleased to see that Erza was taken aback at his answer. At least it meant that she cared about his answer. _

"_Yes. But I'm leaving on a mission right after that."_

_He did not react but uneasiness and worry burned in his stomach. As his fingers wrapped around the gates' metal bars, he couldn't help but whisper a 'be careful' as he opened the gates to the castle for her. She turned around, mouth opening to say something to him but stopped just as someone approached from the side._

* * *

The man pulled at his black collar, adjusting it in front of the mirror. The black shirt underneath his tuxedo clung to his muscular torso, fully displaying his abs' outline. Slipping on his white tuxedo, he pulled on slim white pants to match. Grumbling at the restrictive formal wear, he reluctantly put on his black, knee length boots and black gloves.

Pausing to admire his reflection in the mirror, Jellal ran a hand through his blue hair. Was Laxus right in what he had said earlier? Was he listening to his heart rather than his head? His hands clenched into fists. He had to have faith in her abilities. She was one of his best captains, having one of the best records in the entire army. He was certain she would not fail. He turned his head to his left, allowing the soft light to throw shadows across his face. Ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he exhaled deeply. Yes, he was sure she would not fail.

Spinning on his heels, Jellal retrieved his blue cloak and fastened it securely around his shoulders. Fingering the gold embroidery on the cloak, he smiled to himself as he left the room. He wondered what she would be wearing for the ball.

Laxus pushed himself of the wall effortlessly as he spotted the king striding over to him. A small smile was tugging at the corner of his lips and his eyes twinkled mischievously. "The guests are coming in and _all_ the captains are present," he smirked, "that is, except for me." Jellal rolled his eyes at his childish antics as the two of them swept into the top of the grand stair case that led to the ball room.

Throngs of guests were pouring in through the door. Jellal gripped the banister tightly and surveyed the scene below him. Countless noblemen and lords were flitting around the room, stoking up civil but meaningless conversations with strangers. Some of the bolder ones had already started flirting and soon, the room was filled with masses of people. His onyx eyes scanned through the crowds, trying in vain to locate a certain red head.

"Didn't you say all the captains had already arrived?" He murmured.

The blonde captain besides him turned around, placed both elbows on the banister and leaned against it. Seeing the grin blossom on his face, Jellal eyed him warily. "What now?"

A click of high heels sounded behind the king and he whipped around quickly, cloak smacking right into his companion's face. In front of him stood none other than Erza Knightwalker, one hand placed on her right hip as she glared at him. Clad in nothing but a black, low cut dress which clung to her every curve, crimson hair fell in waves over her shoulders, contrasting sharply with her attire. The slit on the sides of her dress exposed her smooth thighs, while her low cut neckline complimented her cleavage fully. Jellal's breath caught in his throat and he struggled to stammer a greeting.

"Captain Knightwalker."

Erza frowned as she caught the grin on Laxus' face. Brushing it off, she bowed her head slightly. "My king," she muttered and proceeded to descend down the stairs, hips swaying enticingly and all Jellal could do was stare at her back, eyes eventually moving downwards. As Erza made her way across the room, Jellal grimaced as he noticed the amount of attention she was receiving from the men in the room. Still, he found it comforting that she was ignoring all of the lustful gazes directed at her. Smiling, he decided it was time he joined the party. The council would no doubt be angered if he did not at least try to act like he was looking for a potential partner.

* * *

At the bottom of the stairs stood two persons, seemingly waiting for him. Jellal smiled politely and greeted them.

"I'm glad you could join me tonight, Lady Urtear."

The woman extended a hand and Jellal placed a chaste kiss lightly on it. Straightening up, he waved a hand, dismissing Laxus, whereas she did the same to the man beside her. As Urtear accepted a glass of champagne from a waiter, Jellal took the opportunity to scrutinize her.

Lady Urtear, heir to the throne of Devlin, was certainly a beauty to behold. Her pale complexion was enhanced by her tiger striped dress and she practically radiated elegance. As she turned back towards him, he nodded in thanks and accepted her other flute of champagne. Raising it, they drank, with her taking a sip and him draining half of the contents in one gulp. His eyes flickered briefly towards his left, where he spotted Urtear's companion leaning closer towards Erza. Jellal fought to maintain his calm façade but he could feel his control slip ever so slightly.

Urtear laughed lightly and asked, "Stressed?"

Jellal focused his attention back onto the woman in front of her. Shaking his head, he indicated his head towards her companion and asked casually, "So, who is your charming escort?"

Both of them turned towards the crowd. Eyes resting on the man's blonde spiky hair, Jellal growled under his breath as he took in the scene in front of him. The man was chatting amiably with the captain but Erza seemed to be distracted, only mechanically nodding at appropriate times. Jellal could see that her focus was somewhere else. It almost seemed as if she was looking for someone, the way she shifted her weight around, allowing her maximum vision of the ballroom. His grip tightened around the glass as the man leered at her, closing the distance between them. Jellal proceeded to drain his glass.

Urtear stared at him before speaking slowly. "That would be my personal bodyguard, Zancrow." She smiled coyly before continuing, "What about that lady over there? You seem quite concerned about her."

The king did not reply for a moment, choosing instead to survey the scene unfolding in front of him. Erza had pushed Zancrow away and was now making her way towards the drinks table, seemingly still searching for something. "She would be a captain of my army," he replied curtly. He took a second to compose himself. "So, about our possible alliance," he started seriously. The way Urtear regarded him, Jellal could see that it would be a very long negotiation.

* * *

She glided gracefully across the ballroom, drawing lustful gazes or jealous glares from all directions. Ignoring them, she approached Laxus, who was downing his fifth glass of whisky. As she moved closer, Laxus raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at her questioningly. Erza selected a glass of white wine.

"Laxus, are all the captains present?"

The blonde froze. "Well, yeah…who are you looking for? Maybe I can help."

The red head glanced at the ballroom. "Have you seen Mystogan yet?"

Laxus suddenly grinned. These two were so much fun to be around. He rubbed his chin in mock thoughtfulness. "Hmm, well," he trailed off. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jellal engaging in a serious conversation with Urtear. He picked up another glass. "I'm pretty sure I've seen him a second ago but now that you mention it, I don't know where he is." Laxus placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. "But I'll make sure that I pass on word to him that you're looking for him."

Erza smiled wordlessly and sauntered across the room before slipping through the curtains out into the balcony.

* * *

Jellal stalked over towards Laxus, eyes furrowed in concentration. He exhaled noisily and lifted tired eyes to the ceiling. Laxus surveyed him seriously, muttering, "So how did the negotiations go?"

Jellal's shoulders slumped. Ruffling his hair with a gloved hand, he glanced at Urtear. "She will only agree to our alliance if we cut out military strength by half." The blonde started, choking on his drink. The king groaned audibly, "Which is obviously out of the question, considering how small our army is, especially now that we've lost Lily."

Laxus' eyes narrowed. "She clearly prefers not to have an alliance at all, but just to swallow up Edolas." He grimaced, "Maybe Knightwalker should go scout tonight, see what they're up to."

"Yeah," Jellal grabbed a bottle and poured some liquid into a glass before repeating the same procedure but selecting different bottles. "I need a drink, something strong preferably."

Laxus stared at him. "You do know you just mixed together vodka, sake and whisky, right?"

His partner drained his glass, smiling as the concoction burned his throat, sending a wave of buzzing feeling through his system. Laxus gaped at him, eyes wide with surprise.

Jellal closed his eyes. "I need some air man, some space to think." Pointing towards the balcony, which was obscured by the curtains, he raised a hand wearily and wandered off.

Unbeknownst to the two, a certain raven haired woman observed their exchange and smiled.

* * *

He had never answered her question, come to think of it. Being the antisocial person he was, it was no surprise that he had not come. Still, she found herself oddly disappointed at the notion. She had hoped to see him, to talk to him.

The chilly wind caressed her gently, whispering softly in her ears and she shuddered ever so slightly. A rustling noise drew her attention and she saw the king slip out onto the balcony.

He was quite distracted, ripping off his gloves and unfastening his cloak before taking off his tuxedo and pulling open his collar quickly. Tired eyes framed his face and he closed them, breathing in deeply, oblivious to her presence. For a brief moment, she could have sworn that it was Mystogan standing before here, proud and tall. She swallowed bitterly. It must have been the dim lights playing tricks on her eyes.

The two of them were nearly polar opposites. The king was weak and pathetic, Mystogan was strong and powerful. Jellal was cowardly but cold, Mystogan was brave and kind. Erza smiled to herself as her thoughts turned once again to Mystogan. She always felt comfortable around the mysterious man. He radiated a comfortable warmth when he was next to her, letting her know in his subtle way that he would be there when she needed him. And with his little gestures, he made sure that she knew that he cared. Even though he tried hard to hide his affection, Erza could see that there was an attraction between them. And for the umpteenth time for the night, she wondered why he had not come.

She shivered as another wave of cool air assaulted her. The small movement managed to catch the king's attention and he took a step back, eyes wide.

"Captain Knightwalker!"

Just great.

* * *

He took a step back, eyes wide with surprise as he finally realized that he was not alone. She looked stunning, the dim light throwing shadows across her face, making her even more mysterious, even more enchanting. He bit his lip, unsure as what to do. Slowly, she turned back to look outwards.

She stiffened under his touch as he draped his cloak over her shoulders.

"You're going to catch a cold like this," Jellal murmured. His breath hitched in his chest as Erza straightened up, looking straight into his eyes. But then he smirked, leaning forwards before whispering next to her ear.

"Prepare to leave in an hour," he stepped backwards again. "Be careful."

Erza's eyes narrowed dangerously. "As you wish," she hissed, "but this might create some misunderstandings." Pulling off his cloak, she shoved it into his arms and stormed back inside.

Jellal sighed. Maybe he should just consider living as Mystogan for the rest of his life.

**This chapter was boring to write, since it was kinda slow and I was looking forward to chapter 4, where all the action and angst finally kicks in. So, yes bear with me please. I've realized that I have a balcony/banister fetish in this story, and that I added loads of lines in here [ darn **


	4. Resist

**Resist**

Jellal frowned as he made his way back to his room, eyebrows creased as he tried to stop his head from spinning. Having excused himself from the ball, claiming that he was feeling unwell, the blue haired man slowly trudged the length of the corridor sluggishly. Apparently, his custom cocktails were a lot stronger than he thought they were.

Pausing for a moment, he leaned heavily against the wall with his arm, vision blurring as his heartbeat accelerated. His laboured breathing rang in his ears as the blood rushed through his head.

"_As you wish," she hissed, "but this might create some misunderstandings."_

Jellal chuckled bitterly to himself. Pushing himself off the wall, he shifted his position slightly so that his back was to the wall instead. His eyes closed tiredly. Gradually, his breathing eased its pace and calmness washed over him. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice the shadowy figure ease towards him until she was in front of him. A slender finger ran across his jaw bone teasingly before circling his collarbone. Jellal's eyes snapped open.

Urtear smiled naughtily back at him.

"Lady Urtear…" Jellal stuttered nervously, "You're…not supposed to be…"

His protests were cut short as the raven moved closer to him, hands placed lightly across his chest. Slowly, they roamed the chiseled muscles, gradually moving downwards. Jellal instinctively straightened upwards, back pressed urgently against the wall as he shied away from her touch. Urtear took the chance to press up against him even more.

Jellal's eyes widened with surprise as his brain struggled to comprehend the unfolding situation. But as the alcohol finally settled fully into his system, his mind went blank and his reactions slowed to a halt. Urtear licked her lips as she observed the light fade from the king's eyes. He was obviously drained of all his strength.

Her right leg moved up his inner thigh, rubbing against it temptingly, while her hand caressed his face gently. The raven pressed her body against his, nuzzling him playfully. Jellal inhaled sharply when Urtear's knee _accidentally_ brushed against his groin and he could feel his pants tighten.

"What are you…" Jellal gasped.

Urtear giggled as her hands moved towards the man's belt, slender fingers curling around the buckle.

A strong hand encircled her slim wrist and Jellal spoke softly, "You really…shouldn't be here, my Lady." A certain glimmer had returned in his eyes as he gazed into her hazel eyes. The unspoken message was clear but Urtear leaned forwards until their noses were touching. Jellal's breathing was, at this stage, very irregular.

A sudden scuffle of noise rang out from around the corner and Jellal's head snapped to the side as he waited with bated breath for whoever it was to turn the corner. Taking advantage of Jellal's distraction, Urtear took the opportunity to plant a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

"Aren't you supposed to be with Jellal?" Erza asked as Laxus strolled over to her. "You're his bodyguard after all."

Laxus laughed, scratching his head sheepishly. "You got me," he grinned, "I went to the kitchen to grab a snack." The blonde shook the bag of popcorn in front of her cheerily as the two captains wandered along the corridor back to their rooms. A sudden thought popped into his head. "Aren't you supposed to be with Mystogan?" He teased lightly. Then Laxus paled visibly as he noticed a smirk slowly forming on Erza's face. It was never good when the Fairy Hunter smiled.

"Say Laxus," Erza started, "is it true that you're gay for Jellal?"

Damn, payback was a bitch.

"Me? A handsome guy like me being gay? Chicks totally dig me!" Waving his arms in spectacular fashion, Laxus fumed.

Ignoring Laxus' indignant protests, Erza grinned as she turned round the corner with the blonde closely behind her.

"Why isn't _he_ the one who's gay? Huh? Erza! Are you listening?"

A collective sharp intake of breath echoed along the corridor as the two captains took in the scene before them.

Jellal was pressed against the wall in a seemingly intimate way by Urtear, with one hand closed around her wrist. Urtear had one leg wrapped around Jellal's left leg and was kissing his cheek, one hand still fiddling with his belt as Jellal stood frozen in shock, eyes wide.

Seeing the two captains, Jellal snapped back to attention and roughly pushed Urtear of him. Hands raised in defence, he spluttered incoherent words, "This…is not…what it looks like…"

Erza made a disgusted noise at the back of her throat and ignored the two, instead choosing to make her way to her room. Laxus was shoveling popcorn into his mouth, seemingly absorbed by a hideous painting of Faust on the wall.

Urtear smiled devilishly and excused herself. Laxus eyed her retreating back suspiciously before shuffling over to the king.

"No wonder Erza thinks _I'm_ the gay one here," he growled indignantly.

Jellal buried his face into his hands. This was seriously not happening.

* * *

Erza Knightwalker exited her room, dressed in her usual attire of amour and armed with her trusty spear. This would be the first time that she would be fighting without magic and deep down inside, a sense of foreboding gnawed relentlessly at her. Dismissing it as mere paranoia, she slipped out into the courtyard.

The last of the guests were taking their leave and she surveyed them coolly as she blended into the shadows of the trees. Her target arrived fairly soon. Erza took a deep breath and steadied herself.

_Here we go._

Erza launched herself up skillfully and scampered to the top of the trees. Stealthily, the red head followed the carriage as it exited the palace grounds and plunged into the darkness of the forest, making its way towards Devlin.

Jumping from tree to tree for what seemed like hours, the carriage finally came to a halt in the middle of the forest and Erza stopped, feet planted firmly on the tree branch. Peering through the dense leaves, she squinted to see more clearly in the dim moonlight. Urtear had not moved from her seat but Zancrow had gotten out of the carriage, melting into the shadows as he wrestled his way past the bushes into the forest. Shuddering at the thought of having to follow the repulsive man who had repeatedly hit on her at the ball, Erza reluctantly pursued him.

Having to make her way across the forest pathway from the right side to the left in order to pursue Zancrow was difficult as Urtear could easily see her in the open area. Grimacing, Erza moved to the treetop directly above the carriage and launched herself into the air. A hand shot out to grab hold of the branch as she descended and the impact tore at her muscles. The captain grunted in pain as she swung down to a lower level, one hand automatically reaching to steady herself.

Eyes darting around, Erza searched frantically for her target. He had mysteriously disappeared into thin air. Biting her lip, she glanced backwards to make sure that the carriage had not moved from its original spot before creeping downwards. A yellow flash caught her eye and Erza held her breath, hoping that Zancrow had not spotted her. A rustling noise sounded below her and slowly, she inched forwards to see if he was there. Unfortunately, the branch she was on was weaker than she thought and it sagged visibly, rustling the leaves and causing a shushing wave of noise.

"Rookie mistake," a lustful voice whispered next to her ear.

Erza whipped around, spear in her hand, but she was not fast enough as a hard blow connected with the base of her neck. Her grip on her spear loosened and her vision blurred as darkness engulfed her. Her knees gave way and she slumped forwards, straight into the arms of the blonde.

Zancrow scoffed. "If the Edolas army is this amateur, we'll crush them in no time."

A hand reached out to brush away the strands of hair covering the red head's face. Recognition dawned on him. A smirk spread across his face and madness twinkled in his eyes.

"What do you know," Zancrow crooned triumphantly, "if it isn't the beautiful Erza Knightwalker."

Straightening upwards, Zancrow slung the unconscious captain over his shoulder, one hand stroking her back, relishing the feel of her smooth skin. Extracting a knife from his pocket, he stabbed it into the tree trunk and twisted it horizontally, effectively cracking the woodwork. Zancrow then leapt off the branch, using his knife as brakes.

* * *

The man opened the carriage door and slipped into the seat next to his female companion.

"You were right, Your Majesty. They did send someone after us." He licked his lips as he eyed the red haired beauty opposite to him.

Urtear stared out the window, bored. "It was fairly obvious that they would, especially as negotiations had broken down during the ball." Glancing at Erza, a smile adorned her face and she continued, "Pump her for information, Zancrow. You can do whatever you want with her while you're at it."

The blonde threw back his head and laughed madly. "It's been a while since I got to have some fun."

* * *

Her eyes opened slowly. Her vision was blurred and her throat was parched. Shifting slightly on the floor, Erza blinked rapidly and tried to take in her surroundings. She was in a cell, surrounded by stone walls. There were no windows but only a sole steel door in front of her. She pushed herself off the floor but found that her arms and legs were restrained by loose chains attached to the wall.

Swallowing hard, Erza forced herself to be calm. But panic flashed through her eyes and her breath hitched in her chest as a clanking noise signified the arrival of an enemy. The door slid open to reveal none other than Zancrow. He entered the room, lugging a bag along with him.

"Awesome, you're awake," he leered at her. Slamming the door shut, he crouched in front of her and grabbed her chin, tilting it upwards. "It's been ages since I've got to interrogate someone, least of all a female." Erza responded promptly by spitting in his face.

Zancrow dragged a hand across his face. "Usually, I would start the interrogation now," he said as he ran a hand through his hair, "but then again you're a girl, and I prefer to have my fun first. I don't want to ruin that pretty face of yours yet."

"Fuck you."

Sidestepping the captain, he unbuckled his belt. Grabbing a fistful of amber hair, Zancrow pulled her head back roughly. As Erza gasped desperately for air, he slipped the belt between her teeth and wound it tightly around the back of her head.

Shooting forwards, he grabbed the red head and slammed her head into the ground. Securing her hands above her head, Zancrow straddled her and pinned down her legs with his own. With his other free hand, he pulled out his knife and scrapped it lightly against the centre gore of her bra before slipping the knife under it.

"I like them feisty," he grinned, "so don't disappoint me."

**Ok, so I kinda didn't know how to write this chapter haha. This chapter should be called The Chapter Made Up of Scenes That the Author Doesn't Know How To Write :D awesome. And I don't have time to proofread the last part :O Yeah, so until next chapter. I gotta say, I couldn't resist putting the popcorn bit in (look at mirime's chapter 3 review) XD**


	5. Reclaim

**Reclaim**

Laxus woke up to someone shaking him urgently. Cracking open an eye, he growled audibly and turned onto his side, pulling the covers over his head.

"Whaddya want?" He whined.

Mystogan ripped off the covers. "I need you now, Laxus. Come on!"

The sense of urgency snapped the blonde out of his sleep. Slipping out of bed, he put on his pants, opting to forego his shirt. Scrambling after the cloaked man, Laxus hopped after him as he put on his boots.

"The fact that you're dressed as Mystogan means that you're going on a mission, right?"

Mystogan grunted impatiently, eyebrows knitted together with frustration. Striding down the hallway, he stopped halfway and turned towards the wooden paneling on the wall. He placed a gloved hand on the centre of the panel. A blue hue surrounded it as the hidden computer confirmed his identity. The wall then slid open, revealing a flight of stone stairs and the two of them descended downwards.

The soft thud of footsteps echoed around them, creating an eerie atmosphere. Finally, Laxus spoke up. "Aren't you going to tell me why you're dragging me down to the labs at one in the morning?"

Mystogan extracted his bandana from his pocket and secured it around his head. "She was supposed to be back three days ago," he murmured softly, eyes downcast. He stopped as Laxus placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, his eyes pleaded with the blonde. "You don't think…"

Laxus grinned uneasily. "I'm sure she's fine. She's not some damsel in distress who always needs protecting and rescuing. Don't go trampling all over her pride, yeah?"

Mystogan nodded distractedly and continued on his way hurriedly. Storming into the lab, the man ripped through the contents of the room like a whirlwind. Papers were strewn all over the floor and apparatus shoved out of the way as Mystogan searched frantically. Finally, the object he was looking for caught his eye and he crossed the room in three strides, grabbing the little jar. Scrutinizing the contents, he picked up a discarded folder on the table and flipped through the loose pages. His mood darkened visibly as his eyes scanned through the contents. Without another word, he swept out of the room with Laxus behind him.

Slowing slightly, Mystogan fell into step with Laxus. Lifting up the bottle, he shook it gently, causing the five small balls inside to bounce around.

"These are X-balls, the source of my magic in Edolas," he explained as he unscrewed the cap on the bottle and gave one to Laxus. Swallowing one, he continued. "The lab hasn't finished its analysis, so mass production hasn't started yet. This means we've only got five of these to use for the moment." Sighing, Mystogan rubbed his eyes wearily. "Luckily, we're only gonna need two for this mission. This stealth op is off the records, you ready to go?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of Laxus' lips. Electricity danced across his fingertips and he clenched his hands into fists. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's rumble."

* * *

The two captains pressed themselves flat against the stone walls. Mystogan knelt on the ground and placed his palm on the stone walls, murmuring inaudible words before straightening up.

Glancing briefly at the guard towers, Mystogan pulled out a staff from the holster on his back. In one swift motion, he stabbed it firmly into the ground, sending silent shockwaves rippling through the perimeter.

"Sleep," he whispered.

One by one, the guards on duty collapsed onto the ground. Nodding, the two captains vaulted over the gates and melted into shadows.

According to the blueprints of the castle, the dungeons were accessible by the side door of the castle. Laxus had theorized that the worst case scenario would be that Erza was captured, and therefore had suggested that they check out the dungeons first. If she wasn't there, then the two captains would retreat immediately and then worry about what had happened to their comrade later.

Extracting two daggers from his boots, Mystogan flicked his wrist expertly, sending them flying across the opening and embedding them into the two guards' foreheads. Laxus shot forwards, catching their falling bodies to avoid any noise. Gently laying the corpses on the ground, the blonde indicated that the coast was clear. Mystogan rose from his position and moved forwards.

Channeling his magic into his palm, the masked man compressed it into a small ball of light and eased it through the lock of the steel door. A clunk sounded and the door swung open. Looking back one last time, the two slipped through the doors into the dungeons, allowing the darkness to engulf them.

Laxus grabbed his compatriot by the shoulder, stopping him from advancing.

"Wait," he whispered, "until your eyes adjust to the darkness first."

"It's fine, seriously," Mystogan murmured as he dismissed Laxus' warning casually. Laxus grip on his shoulder tightened and he pulled the king backwards just as their eyes focused in the dark.

The dungeons were built into the ground in a cylindrical pattern. A spiral staircase hugged the walls and descended downwards, with cells lined up next to them. The middle of the cylindrical chamber was hollowed out and Mystogan paled as he realized that he had nearly stepped out into the middle. Taking a ginger step forwards, he looked down. It was easily over 20 floors deep.

"Thanks," he mumbled as Laxus released his hold on him.

The blonde reached out and grabbed a torch from the walls. Electricity crackled from his hands and sparks set the torch alight. Handing it to Mystogan, he did the same with another torch. He raised it above his head, allowing for a clear view of their surroundings.

There was a chain hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the chamber and Laxus tossed his torch down. The torch bounced on the ground, but the light served as a good indicator of the height of the dungeons. Grinning madly, Laxus saluted stiffly to Mystogan and leapt out into the open.

A muscular hand grabbed a hold of the chain and Laxus slid downwards into the dark. Mystogan nodded thoughtfully. It would take too long to run down the stairs all the way down to the deepest level and it was customary to keep the most dangerous prisoners at the lowest level. As the rattle of the vibrating chain subsided, Mystogan could see the light of the torch move in a circle, indicating that it was safe to proceed.

Laxus surveyed the area as Mystogan swung down from above. The cells were all empty and there was no sign of Erza. Mystogan let out a breath of relief.

"Good, she's not here," he commented. Taking a step towards the staircase, he turned back towards Laxus. "Shall we leave now?"

"No," Laxus bit out tersely. Scanning the room with narrowed eyes, he raised his torch to see more clearly. "When you're stationed at the border, you get to know loads of random stuff," he said as he started checking cell by cell. "And one of the things I've learnt is that there are usually secret cells at the lowest level. Second is that there are always emergency exits at the lowest level since it would take forever to reach the top level." He grinned at Mystogan, "So even if we're leaving, let's find that damn exit instead of climbing up those never ending stairs."

Mystogan nodded and started checking the walls, moving from cell to cell. A faint whisper of wind brushed past his hand. Peering closer, the captain could see a narrow corridor between two cells, partially obscured by the darkness. Gesturing for his comrade to follow him, Mystogan crept forwards.

The corridor slowly opened up and Mystogan turned the corner to see two steel doors, one to his right and one in front of him. Laxus pointed a thumb towards the one in front of him and strode forwards to investigate as Mystogan took the door to his right.

Turning the handle, he found that the door was locked. Growling under his breath, Mystogan sent another ball of magic into the lock, forcing the door open. Pushing it aside quietly, he ventured forwards, allowing the torch to illuminate the pitch black room.

The light threw flickering shadows across the room but Mystogan could see the room clearly. The sight in front of him brought him to his knees. Dropping the torch on the ground, he shuffled forwards, tears slowly welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill over onto his cheeks. In all of his years of being a mage, the man had never seen such brutality or cruelty.

The red head was lying face down on the floor, disheveled hair covering her face and matted with dried blood. A mottle of black and blue bruises covered every inch of her skin and red streaks of whip marks marred her back. Cuts and scratches adorned her hands and legs and patches of blood painted her skin red. Each of her fingers was twisted at different angles, having been broken one by one. Her clothes lay in tatters in the corner of the room and his heart clenched painfully as he noticed that there was also blood between her thighs. He had been too late.

Swallowing hard, Mystogan held back his emotions as years of mage training kicked in. Panicking would not help in these situations and he knew it. Gently, he moved to turn the red head over. Erza let out a cry of anguish even in her unconscious state. A pungent smell wafted over to the masked captain and he reeled back. Ripping off his mask, Mystogan whipped around and doubled over retching, spilling out the contents of his stomach.

Wiping the sweat from his eyebrows, Mystogan turned back towards the female.

They had branded the red haired captain and had chosen somewhere where it was highly visible. Glancing at the D on her belly, he grimaced as the smell of burnt flesh filled his senses. Eyes watering, Mystogan pulled off his right glove. He placed his hand just above the brand mark and could still feel the heat radiating from the wound. Coupled with the fact that the flesh was still raw, it meant that the branding was fairly recent.

Thudding footsteps sounded, followed by a blonde man. "I've found the exit…" Laxus trailed off as he took in the scene before him. The tearful look on the king's face told him everything. The blonde took a step forwards but then decided against it. "I'll go check the main chamber while you get ready to run. I think by this time, someone should have found the sleeping guards."

Mystogan bowed his head, not trusting himself to speak. Laxus left swiftly, face contorted with fury. Ripping off his cloak, Mystogan wrapped it gently over Erza's naked body. Breathing in slowly, he slipped his arms under her knees and under her neck before lifting her up. Erza let out another cry of pain and Mystogan cradled her protectively against his chest. Inhaling deeply, he realized that his hands were shaking badly.

"Get out of here!" roared Laxus, snapping him out his thoughts. Mystogan bolted out of the room and stormed towards the exit just as the walls around him exploded. Flinging himself onto the floor, he shielded Erza using his body.

Laxus' voice echoed around the dungeons once more. "I'll hold them off for a few minutes and I'll get out of here myself. You go on ahead ok?"

Groaning, Mystogan stood up, shaking of the dust and debris on him. "Don't take too long! This is a stealth op, not a counter attack!"

Laxus scoffed as he waved a hand dismissively, eyeing the soldiers surrounding him. "I got it all under control," he snarled angrily. Blue sparks danced around his body and the air around him seemed to crackle. "I'll just take part of my revenge for Erza here," he spat out bitterly and advanced towards the enemy.

Fifty soldiers were deployed to the dungeons that night, none returned alive.

* * *

Barreling through the steel door, Mystogan sprinted across the open. Cries of 'intruder' rang out from all directions but he ignored them. Suddenly he slid across the grass as a barrage of arrows soared over his head. Shifting Erza to his right arm, he pulled out a staff with his left and turned around, swinging it in an arc. A blast of blue energy was released and blew up the pursuing guards.

Mystogan replaced the staff and slammed his palm onto the ground, releasing the spell he had cast on the stone walls earlier.

"Five-layered magic circle: Sacred Song."

Five different coloured circles expanded from the stone wall and a concentrated beam of energy exploded outwards, crumbling the walls.

Mystogan dashed forwards and leapt over the rubble. Glancing up at the sky, he let out a piercing whistle. Turning one last time, he stretched out an open hand before clenching it into a fist, causing the palace ground to crack and explode. Jumping up, he landed safely on his bird-like Legion. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Laxus mount his own Legion as well and take off towards Edolas. For the first time in days, Mystogan smiled.

* * *

Setting down the injured captain, Mystogan unraveled his cloak from Erza's body. The wind whipped through her hair, licking at her skin, and she shivered at the cold. Pulling off his mask and bandana, he secured it tightly around the more serious wounds, applying pressure to stop the profuse bleeding.

Mystogan stared at the brand mark on her belly. This was the worst form of punishment for a royal captain. It symbolized utter defeat and humiliation at the hands of the enemy, and served as a reminder of being regarded as their property. For someone as proud as the second division captain, the shame would kill her, especially after having been violated. She would probably commit seppuku the moment she regained consciousness. Mystogan sighed tiredly and tore off his gloves.

"_Wendy, do you think you can teach me how to do that? You're amazing at it."_

_The petite girl stared up at him adoringly. "Of course! I don't know if you can perform it since this is fairly advanced magic but I could teach you Troia."_

_The blue haired boy smiled fondly at his partner. "That'd be great."_

Kneeling down on one knee, Mystogan placed his hands on the brand mark. Frowning, he concentrated on channeling his magic into his palms. Slowly a bluish hue surrounded them.

"_You have to channel all your magic into your palms and separate out the healing magic," she explained. "Then compress it into a ball and press it into the wound. But be careful not to do it too quickly since the pressure would be too great and explode outwards."_

_A bang sounded next to her. _

"_Couldn't you have said that earlier?" coughed Jellal._

_Wendy gaped at Jellal, who had singed most of his blue hair, and laughed heartily. Soon, even Jellal had joined in with her laughter._

Mystogan could feel the sweat rolling down his face as he fought to keep his magic under control. Not being a dragon slayer but primarily an illusion mage, he found it extremely difficult to even summon out healing magic. His hands were shaking with the effort and he pressed down hard onto Erza's stomach.

Erza let out a scream of pain but Mystogan ignored her thrashing and continued to press down even harder. Growling as Erza's blows connected with his head and neck, he concentrated on his task. Slowly, the wound absorbed the magic and Mystogan grinned triumphantly as the mark lightened in colour.

Falling backwards, the man breathed deeply. His hands were aching and he had used up most of his magic in the earlier attempt at healing. Wearily, he sat up again and repeated the procedure.

_Wendy stuck out her tongue at Jellal. "I'm a dragon slayer, so I can use my healing magic more proficiently than you. You probably can only use it for one or two times though, depending on how much magic you use for one time."_

_Jellal stared at his aching fingers. "I think two times is about right," he grinned cheekily at her._

This time, the brand mark disappeared and the raw skin healed completely. Observing his handiwork, Mystogan noted happily that no one would be able to tell that Erza had ever been branded. Reaching out, he gently wrapped the cloak around her once more and cradled her in his arms. Sensing a source of warmth, Erza snuggled closer to him and buried her face into his chest.

Mystogan sat down, legs crossed to support Erza's weight. He had used up every last drop of his magic and the sudden absence left him feeling nauseas. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep as the Legion carried him home.

* * *

**Yay! An extra long chapter here! You can thank me by leaving me a review! :D**

**So yeah, I don't think I made it clear that the last scene in chapter 4 was a rape/torture scene that I left up to your imagination, so I apologize if you expected me to continue from there.**

**Just a few points to note for future chapters **

**5 X-balls minus 2 = 3**

**Here, Erza has long hair (it grew back) because I think she looks more mature/threatening and sexier that way **

**No idea what Edo Laxus is like but here, I gave him the magic of electricity, since it's similar to lightning and because I love Darker Than Black. I love Laxus in this story, he's such an awesome dude =D**

**Mystogan's bird-like Legion is the one he was riding when he faced off against Faust**

**I liked this chapter much better than the last one because I'm finally getting into the main plot and into the action and angst. When I wrote the last chapter, words wouldn't really come to me, but things got better in this one, so I'm happy.**

**Obviously I made up the part about Wendy and Mystogan but let's just say that happened for the sake of this story :D **

**You guys rock, and if I don't get another chapter up before 2011, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**


	6. Realize

**Realize**

Mystogan stormed through the gates like a whirlwind, sprinting at full speed towards the infirmary. Using his shoulder, he barged into the room and turned on the lights. Gently, he laid down the injured girl and disappeared through a door. Seconds later, he returned with four female medical workers.

"She's going into shock," he croaked, "help her. Please."

Grabbing one of the medical workers by the arm roughly, he stared straight into her eyes threateningly. "This never happened," he growled and jerked a thumb at Erza's battered body. No way in hell was he going to allow the others to get a wind of this incident. The shame would kill the female captain. "Absolutely off the records."

The worker smiled knowingly and pushed him out of the room as the others started their work on the redhead. As the door slammed shut behind him, all Mystogan could do was stare helplessly at it as he slid down against the wall dejectedly.

* * *

For what seemed like forever, the head medical worker opened the door and greeted him tiredly.

"She's stable for now but she'll need quite a lot of rest. There was a lot of external and internal damage and," she trailed off nervously.

Mystogan nodded in understanding. "Psychologically as well," He sighed. "I know."

He waited for the medical workers to leave and switched off the lights. Slowly, he took a seat beside Erza's sleeping form. Despite all that had happened, she seemed at peace.

Erza Knightwalker was covered in bandages from head to toe and blood continued to seep from wounds Mystogan had failed to heal. Closing his eyes, Mystogan stood up and placed another palm over her chest. Erza shivered under his touch and her face contorted into an expression of fear briefly before she calmed down, recognizing the warmth spreading through her body from the man's palm. In a second, the remaining scars disappeared under the blue hue of light. Breathing heavily, Mystogan settled back into his chair and surveyed the captain.

As the moonlight threw shadows across the room, he ran a hand through his blue locks in frustration and placed his other on his knee. The silence rang throughout the room louder than ever but slowly, the sound of soft crying shattered it. Hot tears streamed down his face and sobs racked his body even though Mystogan tried his hardest to contain his emotions. Erza shifted onto her right at the noise so that her back was now facing her visitor.

_You know damn well that you're making this decision based on how you feel, not what you think is best._

It had been his fault. He had made his decisions based on what he had felt and not what he thought was best for the situation. He had sent her on the recon mission. He had allowed her to be captured. It had all been his fault.

A gloved hand reached up to cover his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

He had been too late. He had let them torture and rape her. He couldn't save her from his own mistakes.

It had all been his fault.

Mystogan stood up unsteadily and ventured over to his fallen comrade. He raised a shaky hand, tucking a loose strand of scarlet hair behind her ear. Her even breathing indicated that she was still sleeping peacefully. Gently, he leant down and placed a chaste kiss on her temple.

"I'm sorry."

Without another word, he swept from the room swiftly, never noticing the silent tears pouring from Erza's open eyes.

* * *

Gently, she felt herself being laid on a bed. Seconds later, she could sense more people entering the room before a trembling voice sounded.

"She's going into shock," he croaked, "help her. Please."

Although her eyes were closed and she was slowly drifting in and out of consciousness, Erza surprisingly could still hear the outside world echoing through her mind.

"This never happened."

This voice seemed so familiar. It sounded like…Jellal? What was the king doing here?

"Absolutely off the records."

No, wait. The red head relaxed unconsciously. She recognized his presence.

_Mystogan_.

Relief flooded here and she gave into the darkness gladly.

Gradually, the captain came around but she found that she could not move. Lifting her head slightly, she could see bandages running across her arms, legs and chest. A sudden memory struck her and she sat up suddenly only to wince in pain and fall back into the pillow as her numerous wounds reopened, bleeding profusely. Glancing downwards painfully, her eyes widened as she noticed the absence of the brand mark on her belly.

_What had happened while she was unconscious?_

Erza closed her eyes briefly and opened them only for the dark world to greet her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a cloaked figure sit down beside her and she quickly closed her eyes, pretending that she was still unconscious.

A palm rested on her chest. Erza shivered under his touch and her face contorted into an expression of fear briefly before she calmed down, recognizing the warmth spreading through her body from the man's palm. In a second, the remaining scars disappeared under the blue hue of light.

The silence rang throughout the room louder than ever but slowly, the sound of soft crying shattered it. Erza shifted onto her right at the noise so that her back was now facing her visitor. She could feel the tears welling up at the corner of her eyes.

It had been her fault. She had failed her king. She could not fulfill her duty. It had all been her fault.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

The single sentence broke her heart. It hadn't been his fault. She was the one who had let her guard down and been captured. She had been tortured and raped. Then Mystogan had to go all the way to rescue her, all because she had been too weak.

The humiliation, the shame, it had all been her fault.

She could feel him move closer towards her. A shaky hand tucked a loose strand of scarlet hair behind her ear. Although her heart was pounding out of her chest, she tried her best to breathe evenly. Then, she could feel his warm lips on her temple.

"I'm sorry."

Without another word, he left her side, never noticing the silent tears pouring from Erza's open eyes.

* * *

And for the next few days, she would wake up screaming, eyes wide, sweating all over as the nightmares haunted her mind.

_The iron sizzled red hot as he lifted it from the coal. Grinning maniacally, he grabbed her chin and lifted it upwards so that she was staring into his crazed eyes. Then he plunged it into her stomach._

Then the days after that, she would find herself waking up in the arms of her fellow captain, who would be whispering soothing words in her ear, holding her close in his warm embrace.

_Straddling her, he lifted her restrained hands, grabbed her index finger and pulled it backwards suddenly. Satisfied with the crack that echoed around the chamber, he repeated the process with all of her fingers, laughing at her every attempt not to scream._

And after that, she found that her nightmares had finally abandoned her and instead she would dream of _him_. And she would find herself once again in his arms, with him fast asleep against the bed frame.

* * *

Erza Knightwalker was finally discharged after a torrid week. No one seemed to notice her absence, thinking that she had instead gone on a mission.

"KNIGHTWALKER!"

A loud blonde spread his arms and rushed up to her excitedly before jabbing a finger straight at her.

"Like, dude! Captain's night out tomorrow, so get your ass down to Hibiki's bar tonight, yeah? Don't be such an antisocial old hag!"

A fist embedded itself into Laxus' face as an amused Mystogan looked on behind him. Watching Erza saunter off, he stretched out a hand to help his fallen comrade up.

"You asked for that," he chided. "That's no way to ask someone out."

Laxus smirked painfully. "Well then, you go _ask her_ _out_. Unless you're prepared to take no for an answer."

Mystogan rolled his eyes but followed Erza wordlessly. Laxus grinned toothily as he eyed Mystogan's retreating back. Damn, he was one heck of a brilliant strategist. Jellal really should pay him for all of his efforts.

* * *

"Hey," he mumbled awkwardly. Did she really have to look so perfect?

Erza turned around, flushing as she approached her saviour for the first time since the failed mission. She returned the greeting. After a moment of silence, she opened her mouth to speak again.

"I just wanted to say thank you for what you did back then."

Mystogan smiled fondly at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Erza stared at him. "Weren't you the one who…"

The male captain cut her mid-sentence. "As I said, I have no idea what you're on about." He grinned as understanding dawned on her. Rubbing the back of his head, he changed the subject.

"Sorry about Laxus, he got a bit too excited about tomorrow. We're having a captain's night at seven at Hibiki's bar since Hughes and Sugarboy said they wanted to catch up, with the three of us gone for some time and them not really knowing me." He licked his lips nervously. "So, it would be really great if you could come tomorrow."

Erza smiled. "Sounds good, pick me up at six-thirty and we'll walk together?"

Meanwhile, Laxus was laughing his head off, binoculars in his hand. Oh hell yeah, tomorrow night was gonna be a total blast.

* * *

**And sorry about the late update, I lost my motivation over the holidays. But yes, shorter chapter here but seemed like a good place to stop. With the last 3 chapters mainly being plot driven, the next 3 chapters or so will be more focused on character development. That means more chances for romance to blossom :) Surprisingly, I'm quite motivated at the moment, so I'll continue with my writing now XD**


	7. Rewind

**Rewind**

**Note: I would suggest that you listen to Bleach's "Going Home" or Code Geass' "With You" for the first part of the story since it helps with the guitar part. **

* * *

The hot water cascaded down his shoulders and he reached out to turn off the shower. Groping around, Jellal managed to find a fluffy towel and started to rub down his body.

Erza Knightwalker was different from Erza Scarlet in so many ways and yet they were so alike. Scarlet was kind and caring. Knightwalker was cruel and sadistic. She lived for her duty, yet Scarlet lived for her comrades and for justice. Both were strong and brave but lived with armoured hearts. Jellal smiled. It was very ironic that both mages had also shown him their fragile sides.

The blue haired man rubbed at his hair with his towel.

These were the times when he missed the rowdy guild.

He missed the way he would sit on the second floor, sipping sake while overlooking the guild. Natsu would be busy arguing with a naked Gray as Juvia looked on. Erza would then pile in to stop the fight but end up destroying the guild as Gajeel would also contribute towards the destruction. Mirajane would coolly serve alcohol to Cana and Macao as they engaged in yet another drinking contest and Laxus would listen to his music, oblivious to the chaos downstairs while Master Makarov would smile and drain his beer.

How he missed Fairy Tail. Maybe one day, he could reopen the anima and take a short visit to Earthland.

Stomping out of his bathroom, he slipped on a pair of black pants but decided against wearing a shirt for the moment. Sweat covered his upper torso as the heat from the bathroom wafted over to him. The moonlight glinted off an object from the corner of the room, catching his eye.

Jellal's eyes softened. It was his guitar that was placed at the corner of the room. Being an Earthland instrument, he had had to handcraft it out of wood personally. Chuckling, he picked up the guitar and carried it to the balcony.

Balancing it on his lap delicately, he hopped onto the banister and stroked the guitar fondly. He had been fascinated by the wooden instrument ever since Mirajane had performed with one at the bar. Jellal laughed aloud as he remembered Gajeel's legendary performance.

"Shooby do bop indeed."

His fingers ghosted over the strings lovingly, plucking and picking at them. The sweet sound filled his ears and Jellal soon found himself engrossed in the task.

The soothing atmosphere reminded him of the crisp autumns he used to spend at Porlyusica's. Red and orange leaves would swirl around him in perfect spirals as the wind threaded through them, leading them in a dance. And he would munch on the apples provided by the elderly healer, enjoying the smooth breeze and the fresh air.

A shuffling behind the curtain snapped him out of his dreams and he poked his head back into the room only to see Erza.

"Captain Knightwalker?"

Erza started. She had not expected the king to be in his room, having knocked on his door for some time. Swallowing, she mentally slapped herself for checking out his body. It was really tempting with his muscular, chiseled torso covered in sweat just in front of her. In the pale moonlight, even his blue hair complimented his tattooed face perfectly.

Although she was distracted, Erza did not miss the look Jellal shot her.

Jellal was not someone who was insecure about his body. In fact, he was quite proud about his physique. However, even he felt quite self-conscious under Erza's piercing gaze. To have his affection check him out was something new to him.

Sighing, Erza slammed a stack of papers on Jellal's desk.

"What is this, captain?"

Said female saluted stiffly. "This is the report for last week's mission, Your Highness."

Jellal reached for it. Grabbing the papers, he flipped through it, eyes lingering just a fraction of a second longer on the parts where information was missing. Smirking, he dropped the stack of papers back onto the desk.

So she had left out the bits on the interrogation and the rescue mission after all. He knew that as king, he should be annoyed at Erza's actions. However, he couldn't bring himself to be even the slightest bit irritated as he gazed proudly at one of his finest captains.

Glancing curiously at the guitar, Erza asked grudgingly, having given into her curiousity.

"If I may ask, what is that contraption?"

Jellal laughed nervously. "Well, it's an instrument from Earthland...I mean Mystogan brought it back as a present." He flushed as he realized that he had nearly let slip his identity.

Erza nodded slowly and bowed before leaving the room. "My apologies Your Highness, I have to prepare for an event for tonight."

Jellal grinned, "Captain's night, I see. Well, have fun."

The redhead growled under her breath. The king was still as annoying as ever. Damn him.

* * *

After much whining on Laxus' part, Mystogan had grudgingly agreed to wear a white shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, but had insisted on wearing his black pants and boots. He looked casual enough in his opinion. He arched his back, stretching out his tired muscles and sauntered off to Erza's room.

Passing by the blonde's room, he hammered on the door and continued onwards. Laxus scrambled after him as they made their way down the corridor. Stopping at the door, Mystogan cleared his throat and knocked twice.

After a moment, the door opened softly. The female smiled at him and slipped out. She was wearing a short skirt and a shirt, and a nervous smile made its way onto Mystogan's face as he took in the sight before him. Gesturing for the redhead to walk ahead of him, he glanced at Laxus, eyes pleading.

Laxus shot a grin back at him. Placing both hands behind his head, the electric mage whistled merrily and lagged behind the couple, deliberately pretending that the scenery was too beautiful for him to pass up. And for the rest of the way, Mystogan walked in a comfortable silence with Erza.

* * *

Erza seated herself between Laxus and Mystogan as Hughes and Sugarboy ordered just about the entire sake stock of the bar. As the night dragged on, conversations about missions, Edolas, Devlin and gossip were thrown around the table before it finally settled on Mystogan.

Smacking his lips, Hughes rounded on the masked man. Slamming down his cup with more force than he intended, Hughes drawled lazily. "So Mystogan, like wanna tell us a bit about yourself? I mean like, I only know your name and rank."

A ripple of curiousity descended on the group and Mystogan shifted slightly.

"I uh…was a mage of Fairy Tail on Earthland for a few years before I came back to Edolas. I was uh…just researching the anima," he offered lamely.

Sugarboy's eyes widened. "And you're now in the Edolas army? Talk about being ironic, right?"

Mystogan stared at his cup. He had to be careful what to say now. "Well, the past is the past. I live for the present and the future."

Erza raised her glass. "Well said."

"Well whatever, with all that little bit of introduction over with," Hughes leaned forwards and asked bluntly, "Are you handsome?"

Mystogan stared at him dumbly. "Am I…handsome?" How on earth was he supposed to answer that?

"Yeah! Like how is it a masked guy like you can make all the ladies at the palace swoon?"

The man blinked. "I do?"

Laxus laughed rowdily and slapped him on the back. "You're way too clueless."

"So like if you're really hot, I might consider dumping Sugarboy for you." Hughes smirked playfully at his partner's indignant protests.

"Well, I look nothing like Faust," Mystogan joked, "or Byro at least," he added hastily. He was getting really careless nowadays.

The rest of the group recoiled at the mere suggestion of Mystogan looking like Faust or Byro.

Laxus threw back his head and roared with laughter before commenting. "Nah, my boy's a handsome lad," he winked roguishly, "possibly even more so than the king."

Erza scoffed at the comparison but Sugarboy cocked an elegant eyebrow.

"Ah, of course. Laxus is the only one who knows everything about our mysterious captain." A sudden thought hit him and he gasped. "So, it is true that you two are gay?" He clasped his hands together happily. "How wonderful! And I always thought you had the hots for Jellal!"

"Say what?"

Mystogan rubbed his forehead. Laxus always had a knack for creating misunderstandings.

After the laughter had died down, Hughes started his interrogation again. "So, like you got a girlfriend yet?"

Mystogan's eyes softened visibly as he replied. "No."

Hughes gaped at him and pointed a finger at him dramatically. "With your looks and talent, you could have any girl you want! Or any guy you want! How is it you don't have one?"

Sugarboy leaned back in his chair contently and tapped the side of his head. "I know that look in your eyes dear boy." He smiled at Mystogan. "There's a special someone in your life, isn't there? You have eyes for only one."

Mystogan did not answer but his eyes darkened so that they were unreadable. With his mask still in place, no one could read his expression. But the huge grin on the blonde's face said it all.

Scoffing, Sugarboy rubbed his head. "You're too passive Mystogan. You'll never get your girl like this! You have to create opportunities yourself!" Nudging him playfully, Sugarboy fished for information. "So, who is this girl that's got you whipped?"

Mystogan raised his hands in defense. "Come on guys, tonight's not just about me."

Laxus nodded and turned his attention towards the sole female of the party.

"Erza."

Seeing that he had caught her attention, he continued. "Since you broke up with…" he trailed off as Erza directed her glare at him with full force. Coughing, he asked, "I mean, I hear your family's been drawing up a list of possible candidates for your marriage. How's it going?"

Erza smacked her head against the table. "My family thinks that at twenty years of age, I should get married as soon as possible. They're currently looking through the list to eliminate the weaker candidates."

"The usual list of tests I presume," Laxus groaned, "please tell me I'm not on that list."

Erza chuckled and shook her head. "Apparently it wasn't a wise decision to include you after all that has happened between us."

Mystogan glanced at Laxus. He was definitely hiding something. Noticing the broad grin spreading across the blonde's face, Mystogan downed his glass of sake. Laxus grinned.

"Well, the king's also being pressured about his marriage. Any chance you two can get together?"

Both Mystogan and Erza spat out their mouthful of alcohol as the other males broke into a chorus of laughter. Laxus feigned innocence and offered helpfully, "You've got the looks, brains and noble blood in you. You would be perfect along with Jellal."

"Never. Besides, he would never get past the first test, which is a combat duel test."

Erza exhaled deeply but Mystogan turned to her, confusion laced in his voice. "What is it that he has done? Why do you hate him so much?"

"Someone who runs away from his duties and responsibilities and abandons his people cannot call himself king."

Laxus looked irritated as he defended Jellal. "And yet you judge him even though you don't know his side of the story." Growling, he challenged her. "Do you even know his reasons for what he did?"

Erza looked away. "His behaviour was inexcusable."

Mystogan's eyes narrowed. Was this really how she saw him? Could it be that he had wronged her? Had he wronged his people?

The blonde shot a worried glance at his friend as doubt settled over Mystogan's face. He would have to talk to Mystogan after this.

**Well, I did a 'Black Star' last chapter. Apparently there isn't as much character development as I hoped for, so next chapter will be plot driven rather than about character development. Bleh. But hey, tell me what you think about the story so far, maybe about the plot driven chapters or the character development chapter, how you want the story to develop etc (like any characters?).**

**Yes, I love Laxus. Imagine if he were your real life best friend. Kyaaaa. I don't really like Hughes or Sugarboy, so we won't see much of them any more in later chapters. And yes, I deliberately made Hughes keep using the word 'like' haha.**


	8. Remunerate

**Remunerate**

**Note: Some swearing in this chapter and some mentions to the rape scene. Don't worry, it's not lemon or too graphical. There is quite a lot of violence and angst in this chapter so be warned.**

"They're coming," he murmured, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "The Devlin army is nearing the border, about six hundred men in all." Laxus turned to look at the king, "We need to form a plan soon. Let me go there. I can wipe out the entire army with your squad. It'll be easy."

Jellal thought for a second before speaking. "I was actually thinking of sending squad two as well."

"Erza?" Laxus glanced sharply at the blue haired man. "You know she can't handle it in her current state. You know that more than anyone." Twitching slightly at Jellal's lack of response, he continued, "That last mission dealt a crippling blow to both her pride and state of mind. She's too unstable to be let out onto the field against the ones who did this to her just yet."

"She'll be fine."

Growling, Laxus grabbed Jellal by the collar and pulled him roughly towards him. "It's. Too. Risky."

Jellal's hands closed around Laxus' wrists and he simply replied with a question, "Do you not trust Erza?"

Frustration boiled up in the blonde as he tried to reason with the king. "This is not a matter of trust or not. Erza's not psychologically ready for another round yet and you know it!" Hands shaking, his grip tightened around Jellal's robes.

"Erza's experienced enough for this and we could use the manpower. She only made one mistake last time, it doesn't mean anything," growled Jellal.

Laxus shoved Jellal away roughly. "Could you just think with your head for once?" He shouted. "You can't keep living life following your heart! Damn it! Think man! Stop coming up with excuses to cover up for your mistakes! And hers!"

Jellal snarled angrily and in a second, he was in Laxus' face as well. "I cannot deny her this chance for revenge!" For a moment, he was sure Laxus was going to punch him but then the electric mage turned away in disgust.

"Whatever. Just don't make me pick up the pieces after you mess up."

* * *

The three squadrons spread out as they marched towards Devlin. The enemy was most likely in the forest separating Edolas and Devlin and the force moved in three sections, with Erza taking the left, Laxus the right and Mystogan the middle. They had travelled for two days and still hadn't encountered the enemy force.

Laxus wiped the sweat from his eyebrows and raised his hand in a fist, indicating that it was time to stop. Mystogan nodded at Erza and she acknowledged the signal by gesturing at her troops to rest.

They were near a river and the captains had decided that it was a good time to refill their water supplies and to refresh themselves. Being closest to the river, Erza's squad went first as the other two squads waited patiently for their turn. They knew better than to join them at the same time as an enemy squad would be able to surround their entire army, with the river preventing them from escaping.

Mystogan tensed as a whisper broke the silence. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the area but he could not see anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly Laxus' hand lashed out, stopping him in his tracks as a blonde man sauntered into the clearing. In a split second, his squadron had surrounded Erza's.

"Don't move," whispered Laxus.

Mystogan growled as he recognized the enemy captain.

_Zancrow_.

"Wait here," he barked at Laxus and took off into the clearing, knocking aside the blonde's hand.

"Wait!" Laxus shouted at Mystogan's back. Damn it. Zancrow hadn't even known squads one and five were here and had ambushed squad two, thinking that that was the entire army force. Now, Mystogan had just given squad one's position away. That idiot.

* * *

Charging straight into the battle, Mystogan stabbed his staff into ground, sending a shockwave of magic rippling through the ground and the enemy troops flying through the air. As the soldiers hacked at him with swords and shields, he expertly parried the attacks and released bouts of energy, eliminating the enemy. Swinging his staff in an arc, he sent a wave of explosive energy down the middle of the battlefield, wiping out half the army. Mystogan could not see Erza but the line of destruction in the distant told him everything he needed to know. Scowling behind his mask, he made a mental note to watch out for Zancrow.

Glancing backwards, he realized that Laxus was still in hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. At this rate, Laxus would not even need to raise a finger. The two captains on the field were doing a great job in destroying the enemy while their troops were still able to hold their own against the enemy troops, being more evenly matched.

Everything was going well so far.

* * *

Zancrow shook his head as laughter wracked his body. "Well, well, if it isn't Captain Erza Knightwalker. Remember me?"

Erza trembled slightly but composed herself as she twirled her spear. "Mel Force!"

A wave of energy was released and smashed into the enemy troops behind Zancrow as he cocked his head to the right, grinning as the air next to him rippled with the impact. Unsheathing his sword, he took a stance and leered at her. "Just because I don't have magic doesn't mean I can't whip your ass…like last time."

Erza's eyes widened slightly at the snide comment but she darted forwards at an insane speed with the help of Silfarion. Landing in front of Zancrow, she stabbed forwards as Silfarion transformed back into Eisenmeteor.

Metal clashed against metal as Zancrow countered her every move, parrying the blows easily. Erza slashed at her enemy but Zancrow defended with his sword expertly. As the two weapons locked into combat, both soldiers tried to push the other backwards, but to no avail.

"For a girl," panted Zancrow, "you're pretty strong."

Sliding downwards suddenly, Erza extended her leg and swiped at the blonde's legs. He let out a cry of surprise but flipped backwards using his arm as support. Zancrow grinned but the strain of fighting without magic was showing as he struggled to his feet. His eyes widened as Erza's spear transformed once again. Hoisting the cannon onto her shoulder, she smirked and released a huge blast of magic energy towards him.

"Shit!" Zancrow bounded for the tree tops but was too slow as the explosion swallowed him along with half of the forest.

The fumes of gray smoke wafted across the clearing and the redhead squinted to see better. She couldn't see the blonde and she smiled as she turned back towards the battlefield.

Sensing the enemy's presence, the female swung her spear behind her just in time to block the sword bearing down on her. A boot collided roughly with her back, sending her flying into a tree. A stinging sensation on her back told her that Zancrow's surprise attack had made contact.

Zancrow was burned badly and blood slowly dripped down from his forehead. Burn marks marred his body but he continued to limp over to her, sneering as he took out ten daggers, one stuck between each finger. Flinging one after another at her, he laughed maniacally before charging forwards. He pretended to throw the last one but instead turned on the spot and lashed out with his sword from the right. Erza stepped back out of reach and raised her spear to block the incoming attack from the left. Instinct suddenly stepped in and she moved to the right just as the last dagger was sent flying her way. She hissed in pain as it nicked her skin, drawing blood.

"Ah," Zancrow grumbled as he scratched his head, "You've got the upper hand here, with your magic and spear. I can't let this drag on for too long, as fun as it is." His eyes sparkled with madness and lust. "But still, who says I can't have a little more fun?"

Rushing to attack her again, Erza found herself being pushed backwards towards the river. Holding firm, she eyed Zancrow warily and smiled as she determined his pathway of attack. He was covering his pattern of attack but she could tell that he was aiming for her stomach.

"Ravelt."

Raising the Saint Spear high above her head, she prepared to stab downwards at the spot where he would be but then a wave of fear flooded through her and she froze in her position as Zancrow, instead of stabbing her, pressed up hard against her body, sword hanging loosely in his hand. Sudden memories barraged her mind and she shut her eyes, breathing erratic.

_His hands tore at her skin and clothes, caressing every inch of her skin as he leaned forwards and sucked lightly on her ear lobe. Trailing light kisses down the nape of her neck, he licked the sweat off it._

"You liked that, didn't you?" whispered Zancrow in her ear. Erza felt herself go into shock as her brain shut down to avoid an overload.

_Tracing the outline of her breasts, he straightened upwards and started to fumble with his trousers. Kicking off his boots, he pulled down his pants and discarded them in the corner of the room. He licked his lips wolfishly as he observed the fear settling in her dark eyes. _

Her body went limp as her shaking hands loosened and her spear fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Who guessed you were a fucking virgin? You couldn't have chosen a better partner than me," mocked Zancrow. He could feel his pants tighten as the thoughts plagued his mind.

_He relished her every scream of pain as he tortured her physically and mentally. It was fun to break the strong ones. And everyone knew that he was the best at this game._

His left hand reached out to stroke her face as he brought up his sword with his right. He took two steps back and spun around, swinging his sword and lopping off the head of a soldier who, witnessing his captain's predicament, had come to her aid. Giving his sword a flick, the blood on it splattered onto the ground and Zancrow turned his attention back towards his prey with his sword raised as he prepared to strike the finishing blow.

* * *

A sprinting figure caught Laxus' attention as it left a wake of destruction in its path. Frowning, Laxus stared as Mystogan fought his way towards the river.

"What the heck is he doing?"

However, the blonde was distracted as he noticed that Devlin had backup. Another wave of troops descended upon the battle as their leader charged into the fray. He recognized the leader from Devlin's files. Azuma. It was said that he was an even better fighter than Zancrow but Laxus was pretty sure that the two captains would be able to cope with the remaining soldiers as Mystogan and Erza had already wiped out more than half of Zancrow's squadron. They didn't need his help. Not yet at least.

Looking up, his eyes drifted back to Mystogan.

"You're shitting me!" He swore as he took in the scene before him. This was _not_ happening.

Sparks accumulated around his body and he jumped off the tree, signaling for his troops to follow him.

"Let's go!"

* * *

Adrenaline flowed through his veins as he strained to make it in time. He had watched her freeze up and at that moment, a sense of foreboding had haunted him. Releasing his magic explosively, he cleared the way of obstacles and shot towards his partner. He could see the blonde raise his sword, ready to stab her through the heart. And at that moment, his brain gave him three solutions to choose from.

There wasn't enough space to push her out of the way as Zancrow was too close to her and this also ruled out the possibility of blasting him out of the way. He would most likely end up hitting Erza as well. Grimacing, Mystogan chose the last option.

* * *

Zancrow stabbed forwards, expecting the female to crumple into his arms as the life drained from her. Instead, he found himself staring at the back of a cloaked man.

Mystogan had appeared in front of Erza just as Zancrow had attacked. With a sickening squelch, he coughed up blood as the blade penetrated his body and protruded through his chest. Blood splattered down his chest, the bandages soaking up the crimson blood. A gloved hand reached up to grasp onto the blade, preventing it from moving in deeper and reaching the female.

At that moment, the world went silent. Mystogan could see the explosions and soldiers fighting all around him but he could not hear anything. It was like watching a silent movie. The world moved in slow motion and the colour slowly faded, leaving it in black and white. Erza had not moved, but he could see the shock in her eyes as she stared at him. His vision blurred and he could feel the blood pounding in his ears feverishly. His ragged breathing filled his senses and he gasped for air as he realized his heartbeat was slowing down.

Painfully, he whispered her name but still she did not move. Grunting with pain, he sank onto one knee as Zancrow lodged the sword deeper into him. He could feel his strength draining away slowly. He had to act before Zancrow could kill the two of them.

Mystogan cried out in agony as Zancrow twisted the sword inside him viciously. Trembling, he unsheathed his sword under his cloak. Zancrow had released his hold on his sword, laughing as he watched the masked captain slump lower to the ground as his other knee gave way beneath him. The blonde never noticed the determined expression cross Mystogan's face. He never noticed the sword the captain was holding under his cloak and he could do nothing as Mystogan took off his head in one stroke.

Sweat rolled down Mystogan's face as his shaking hands reached to pull out the weapon. Unfortunately for him, his predicament was noticed by the enemy troops close to him and they charged at him, raring at the chance to dispose of the injured captain.

He whispered her name again but it was futile. Clenching the two swords, he tried his best to defend himself as he was pushed back even closer to the river. He threw the swords at two oncoming soldiers, embedding it into their heads. Drawing his staff, he released his magic and transformed his body into mist.

"Mist body transformation."

The soldiers' attacks passed through him uselessly and he disposed of them swiftly. A sudden wrenching pain hit him and he doubled over, coughing up more blood. His magic wavered and his body flickered in and out of contact. He no longer had the strength to keep using his magic and he fell to his knees again.

Looking up, Mystogan could see Erza starting to snap out of her stupor and he struggled to get up.

A flash whipped through the air and Mystogan's eyes rolled backwards as the arrow smashed into his shoulder, creating a momentum that spun him around.

Azuma stared at the man coolly as he watched Mystogan step backwards into the river. Calmly, he sent two more arrows flying, hitting the captain square in the chest.

With each arrow, the first division captain stumbled backwards with the impact. Swaying on his feet, Mystogan pitched forwards and the raging waters engulfed his body.

Smiling, he allowed the darkness to consume him.

_Erza…_

_Laxus…_

Somewhere in Edolas, King Jellal flickered out of existence.

* * *

**Weeeee, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, probably because I'm a sadist. XD I tried hard to emphasize how easy it was for two captains to destroy Devlin's army but here they messed up and even Laxus is too busy so yeah, kaboom! They're in big trouble XD Until next chapter.**

**And if anyone didn't get the last part, Jellal is the thought projection since it would be weird if the king disappeared just as war is breaking out.**

**Note: I mentioned in chapter five that 5-2=3 and now 3 of the X-balls are used up by the three captains, so there are no more X-balls at hand at the moment.**

**Btw, did anyone notice the pattern in my chapter titles? (except for asianpearl since I mentioned it to her before =P )**


	9. Reawaken

**Reawaken**

Laxus stormed through the battlefield, shocking everyone in his path as he bulldozed his way towards Mystogan. Electricity crackled in his palm as he discharged it into the ground and sent waves of electricity shooting up from the ground.

"Erza!" He roared.

His cry echoed across the clearing and finally managed to snap Erza out of her shock. Scrambling to her feet, the redhead picked up her spear and went on the offensive.

As the blonde crashed past her, he shouted, "Take care of this and retreat. I'm going after Mystogan."

Erza nodded and focused on her battle, decapitating two soldiers in her path.

Laxus growled and leapt into the river, chasing after Mystogan's fading shadow as the turbulent waters swept them downstream.

He found the dying man on the river shore, gasping for air, eyes closed in exhaustion. Desperately, Laxus fought back the urge to scream as he dragged Mystogan away from the cold water. Kneeling down, he ripped open the wet clothes and mask and threw them to the side hurriedly. The blonde then squeezed out the water from his cloak and proceeded to tie it around Mystogan's stab wound tightly in order to apply pressure on it.

The masked captain's pale complexion indicated that he had suffered tremendous blood loss. Laxus swallowed bitterly as he felt around for a pulse. He swore angrily as he found none.

"This is _not_ happening!"

Yellow sparks crackled around his hand and he forced it into a ball of electrical energy. Counting in his head, he pushed the ball into Mystogan's chest roughly. Mystogan's body jolted upwards as the electricity ran through his body. Laxus placed his ear on the captain's chest, hoping for a heartbeat. Hearing none, he swore once more and tried to kick start Mystogan's heart again.

Panting, Laxus started CPR on the king. "Fuck it Jellal, you are _not_ dying on me!"

Forcing himself to remain calm, Laxus discharged his electricity into Mystogan's chest one more time. Wearily, he smiled as he felt the steady pulsing of Mystogan's heartbeat.

Running a hand through his damp hair, Laxus unsheathed his sword. Biting his lip as he assessed the damage, he concentrated his magic into his palm and ran the electricity through his sword. Gradually, the sword heated up and glowed red.

Undoing the make shift bandage, Laxus sat down on Mystogan's chest, restricting his movements.

"Sorry, but I have to do this," he whispered before he placed the sizzling metal onto the king's wound in the hopes of sealing it.

Mystogan cried out unconsciously and he struggled against Laxus' hold on him. His screams echoed in the blonde's ears but Laxus pressed down even harder, tears welling up in his eyes as the smell of burning flesh reached him.

Lifting up the blade, he blew on the wound gently.

_Could you just think with your head for once?_

"What the hell were you thinking back then?" Laxus grunted as he repeated the procedure on the back wound. Hands shaking with the effort of restraining the thrashing man, the tears threatened to spill over as he stared at the ugly scar.

_Whatever. Just don't make me pick up the pieces after you mess up._

He needed to get Mystogan back to the palace as soon as possible. It was a miracle that he had even survived the ordeal with a wound like that. Straightening up, Laxus retrieved the discarded mask and bandana and secured it around Mystogan's face and head. As he bent over to pick up his injured partner, footsteps behind him announced the presence of someone.

"Interesting. With those wounds, he should have died."

Laxus twisted around and threw his custom made metal blade at Azuma. Pulling the wire back suddenly, the blade wrapped around the enemy's arm and the blonde sent a jolt of electricity through it. At the last second, Azuma snapped the wire with his sword and threw the blade at Laxus.

Parrying, the blonde glared at the other captain as Azuma smirked and drawled lazily, "You can't move from that spot, can you? Otherwise, all my attacks will hit that idiot behind you. Why do you bother saving a dying man? He won't make it another hour like this."

Laxus clenched his teeth and opened his palm. A yellow orb sparkled in the middle of his palm. Eyebrows furrowed, the captain snarled, "My duty is not to win this war, my duty is…"

He crushed the orb in his palm suddenly. A blinding yellow flash lit up the sky and a thunderous crash erupted as Laxus activated the tracking signal around Mystogan. Taking advantage of Azuma's momentary lapse in concentration, Laxus shot forward and rugby tackled him, launching the both of them into the river.

_My duty is to protect the king, even if it means my life…_

* * *

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking rapidly in order to clear his blurred vision. As the world adjusted into focus, he could see Erza hovering over him anxiously. An expression of relief adorned her face as the red head helped Mystogan sit up. Mystogan raised a hand uncertainly as he checked that his mask and bandana were still in place before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"They say the only way you survived was because your wound was sealed." Erza looked troubled. "Back then, you shouldn't have…"

"Erza," Mystogan whispered fondly. The female placed her hand on his chest wound, fingers tracing the bandages hesitatingly.

"We found you by the river as we retreated," she started. "And we followed your tracking signal. Did you set it off? "

A sudden thought hit him and Mystogan struggled out of bed. Grasping Erza's arm tightly, he pulled himself up and held her by the shoulders. He stared straight into her eyes as he asked urgently, "Where is Laxus?"

"Laxus?"

Mystogan licked his lips nervously. "Erza, do you still have magic?"

Erza nodded.

"I need to get to the communications room," Mystogan grunted as a sudden pang of pain shot through his chest. Ignoring the redhead's confused questions, he cupped her face with both hands and pressed his forehead against hers. "Trust me," he whispered gently.

Erza could feel her face heat up as she nodded firmly and slung the other captain's arm over her shoulder. Mystogan reached for his staff and the two of them left the room. As they passed through the doorway, Coco turned the corner and bumped into them.

"Coco, the X-balls should be ready by now. Go down to the labs and get as many as you can and deliver them to the king's study," Mystogan ordered.

Coco saluted stiffly before rushing off in the opposite direction.

The two captains continued on their way but they had to stop for a while quite soon as Mystogan heaved painfully from the exertion. He leaned against his staff heavily as bouts of pain shot through his chest, head spinning. Inhaling deeply, he clutched at his chest. Erza turned to him in concern and rubbed his back reassuringly. Cold sweat dampened his bandages but Mystogan ignored the discomfort and continued to the communications room.

Stumbling through the door, Mystogan pulled out a communications lacrima crystal. Erza placed a hand on it and poured her remaining magic into it. The lacrima crystal flickered into life.

"Now, we have some breaking news. Our channel is currently showing the live broadcast in Devlin. Captain Laxus Dreyar, captain of the 5th division of the Edolas army, has been captured and is scheduled to be executed in two hours. Rumour has it that Captain Dreyar was captured after killing Captain Azuma, captain of the 1st division of the Devlin army, in the ongoing battle between the two countries."

Mystogan stared in horror as the scene panned to the execution platform where the blonde was kneeling down, two crossed blades at his throat. He took a shaky step towards the lacrima as if in a trance and shaking hands reached out to touch the lacrima.

Mystogan glanced at Erza helplessly. Her head was bowed and her entire frame shaking as her fists clenched and unclenched. She turned around and started for the door, voice thick with emotion as she blurted out, "I have to see the king. Maybe he can help for once in his life."

Mystogan's eyes were still glued to the lacrima and the wavering images were fading slowly with the absence of magic. As the image of Laxus started to blur into darkness, the blonde raised his head proudly and stared straight into the broadcasting lacrima. Grinning, he spoke loudly and the words echoed around the room eerily.

"Iustum fac."

_Iustum fac._

_Do what is right._

The captain's eyes widened. He still had two hours. He could still save Laxus.

Mystogan swept from the room just as Erza returned. Fury was evident on her face as she spat out bitterly, "The king is missing. What is he doing at such a crucial time? His captain is about to be executed and he disappears?"

Mystogan grasped at Erza for support as an imense sadness washed through him. His grip tightened on her shoulder and Erza looked at him questioningly. Suddenly, he embraced her. The female was too stunned to react but Mystogan nuzzled her neck sadly. Slowly, the female hugged him back.

"I know where the king is. I'll find him while you stay here and continue to monitor the situation. Report to the king's study if anything happens," Mystogan whispered in her ear. Straightening up, he shuffled off.

* * *

He crashed through the door, ripping off his mask and bandana before pulling one of the king's royal robes out from his wardrobe. He slipped it on hastily without even bothering to do up the buttons before his eyes fell on the multiple bottles on his desk. Jellal grabbed one and twisted open the cap, and selected an X-ball. He popped it into his mouth and soon, magic rushed through his veins again.

An outstretched palm rested on the lacrima ball and a private call was sent from the king's personal communications lacrima. Quickly, Jellal did up his buttons, covering up his bandages, just as the image on the lacrima cleared.

"King Jellal, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Jellal swallowed his pride bitterly. "Lady Urtear," he choked out, "spare my captain's life and I'll marry you."

* * *

**Wolfy: Bet none of you guessed that twist at the end yeah?**

**Person A: I got it.**

**Person B: Same**

**Wolfy: =.=, YOU LIE! –dramatic finger point-**

**But seriously, I love twists. Tell me what you think about the twist and I was really hoping you guys could help me with ideas for new characters to put in the story. I need two or three :) **


	10. Reconnect

**Reconnect**

Her feet pounded against the floor as she raced down the corridor to the king's study, crimson hair flowing freely behind her. Stopping outside the door to quickly catch her breath, she straightened up and knocked twice before entering.

"Your Highness!" Erza trailed off at the sight of her king.

Jellal was sitting at his desk with his head bowed, fingers running through his blue hair. He did not move or acknowledge Erza's presence but instead buried his face into his palms.

"What is it?" he mumbled through his fingers.

Erza took a step forwards uncertainly. "They've…released Laxus, I mean Captain Dreyar. He'll be back in around three days."

Jellal inhaled slowly and looked up. Erza stiffened as her gaze locked with the king's haunted eyes. He looked worn out and defeated. Slowly, the man pushed himself off his chair and stood up.

"I know."

Turning to gaze out of the window, he fell into silence once more.

Erza took another step forwards, this time more threateningly. "What did you do?'

Jellal placed his forehead against the window glass and a shaking hand reached up to clutch at his chest. But the pain wasn't from his chest wound. It was from the tight restriction growing in his heart.

"I just promised to marry Lady Urtear in exchange for Laxus' life," he murmured lifelessly.

Erza stormed forwards furiously and grabbed the king by the shoulder, forcing him to look at her. Grasping at his collar, she pulled him roughly towards her.

"You have no idea what you've just done! You ignorant fool!" She cried as she shook him roughly.

Pain ripped through his chest again and he pushed the female away. Panting, Jellal glared at her furiously. "Get out," he whispered. Erza's grip on her sword tightened but she did not respond.

"Get out!" Jellal roared. A shockwave erupted around him, shattering the glass windows and the lacrima ball as Jellal momentarily lost control of his powers.

Gasping, he pleaded with her. "Please, just leave me alone."

The redhead gritted her teeth and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut.

What more was the king hiding from everyone?

* * *

He slipped his muscular arms around her thin waist from behind and pulled her close to his chest. Erza sighed contentedly and rested her head on his chest as she gazed out of the window.

The sky was blood red as the setting sun painted the clouds orange and pink. A soft breeze ruffled their hair teasingly and Erza looked up confused as Mystogan's hold on her tightened unconsciously. He looked down at her, eyes softening and lighting up, and he nuzzled the top of her head before he kissed it.

Somberly, he asked, "What do you think of the marriage alliance?"

A mixture of displeasure and exasperation flitted across her features before Erza answered him. "It's a very dangerous gamble. Devlin wants nothing more than to swallow up Edolas and this marriage provides a perfect opportunity to do so. Urtear would have access to all the confidential information we have and can turn on the king anytime she wants. Edolas is in serious trouble." The redhead inhaled deeply, eyes downcast as she muttered disheartened, "For once, I am starting to lose faith in the king." She turned around and placed both her hands on Mystogan's chest and stared up into his onyx eyes.

"I know the king means well, even if he is a coward who always seems to run from his duties. But what he's doing will not fare well for Edolas. Even if he manages to get past this obstacle, he won't be so lucky in the future." Erza gazed outwards sadly, "And it pains me to be able to do nothing to help him."

Mystogan reached towards her and tucked a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. "It's the only way to save Laxus at the moment, maybe he had no choice. Give him a chance, things might turn out well."

Erza scoffed. "I wish I had your confidence."

Mystogan chuckled. "He trusts you Erza. He trusts you more than you will ever know."

Erza rolled her eyes and punched him playfully but Mystogan lifted her off the ground easily and swung her in an arc, laughing as he asked, "How is it that you can keep your emotions in check when it comes down to business?"

"What?"

"You used to date Laxus right? Two years before he was assigned to the border. So how is it you can stand to watch this all unfold and crash down around our heads? How is it that you won't let your emotions influence the decisions that you make?"

Erza looked down, "I don't know. How do you do it?"

Mystogan grunted but then grew serious as he slipped his arms around her waist again. Leaning down, he steadied himself before he spoke into her ear.

"I don't, but now I have to. I have to go."

Erza smiled and shifted into a more comfortable position in his arms.

"Well then, guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"That's not what I meant."

Erza struggled out of Mystogan's embrace and she whipped around to face him. "Then what did you mean?"

Mystogan sighed, "I'm leaving for a one hundred year mission in Earthland and I'm not sure when I'll be back. I won't be coming back for quite some time."

"You can't leave at such a crucial time! The Devlin army is currently stationed at the Edolas borders to make sure King Jellal complies with his marriage alliance. They could invade at any time! With Pantherlily gone…"

Mystogan shook his head, "I'm sorry but this is important."

Erza glared at him and jabbed a finger at his chest. Mystogan winced in pain but Erza ignored it and snarled, "You're just like Jellal, running away from your duties and responsibilities. We need you! Edolas needs you! You can't just run from your problems!"

"I'm not running away from my duties. This is something I _have_ to do."

"And what is so important that you have to leave at a time like this?" Erza was shaking badly and it broke his heart to see her like this. Hesitating, he moved forwards and knelt down in front of her.

"I'll be watching over you still. You may not see me but I can see you," Mystogan chided gently. He was trembling as well and he could feel the emotions well up inside of him.

"I have to go," he whispered.

Erza bit her lip and moved to embrace him but Mystogan took a step back, maintaining a fair distance between them.

"Please," his voice cracked with emotion, "don't make this harder than it has to be."

His hands reached out to caress her face and Erza rubbed against his warm touch as tears flowed down her cheeks freely.

"Don't do this to me, I need you…"

_Sleep…_

Suddenly, her vision blurred and she felt her eyelids grow heavier. Her strength drained away and she pitched forwards into Mystogan's arms. Mustering all of her remaining strength, Erza struggled to memorize every feature of the man in front of her. Gradually, sleep consumed her and she relaxed.

"I'm sorry Erza."

* * *

The doors to the king's room burst open for the second time in the same day and the red haired captain stormed into the room.

Jellal's eyes widened. He was getting dressed for the wedding and clearly did not expect any intruders.

Her face was contorted by pure rage and Erza drew back a fist and sent it flying into Jellal's face. Jellal fell onto the ground heavily, hand covering his face as he rolled around on the ground.

"Captain Knightwalker! This is treason! What are you doing?"

Erza unsheathed her sword and pointed it at his throat. "How could you send him away at such a time? If Edolas falls into Devlin's hands, I will personally kill you with my own hands."

With that said, she left the room swiftly, leaving Jellal on the floor.

* * *

**Now that I'm back from Phuket, here's the update. Sorry about the short chapter here but it's a good place to stop, will make up for it with a longer chapter next time round.**

**Dun dun dun! Will Mystogan disappear from this story? Will Jellal marry Urtear? Will someone give me some more Edo-characters that haven't appeared in the manga? Will…I'm sleepy, imam just upload this and…go to sleep. Zzzzz**

**Oh wait, if you didn't get what Erza was ranting about why Mystogan left, I will explain it next chapter anyway :) **


	11. Redeem

**Redemption**

His heavy footsteps rang out throughout the chapel as Jellal made his way to the front. The wedding guests rose up and bowed respectfully as he swept past them and he could feel their burning gazes on his back. Ignoring them easily, he climbed the steps to the altar before turning back towards the crowd. A rumble-like thunder sounded as everyone took their seats but after that, silence descended upon them.

Jellal could feel the uneasiness floating in the air and it did not help ease the dread that had settled in his heart. His hands clenched into fists and he struggled to maintain a neutral expression. He caught Erza glaring at him out of the corner of his eye, distrust etched on her face. Well, at least that put to rest the possible outcome between them if he ever managed to get out of this marriage alliance.

The king turned back towards the doors, calm façade still in place and waited with bated breath.

Slowly, the doors swung open and the bride entered step by step, her dress flowing gracefully behind her. Jellal flushed as naughty thoughts filled his head and even he had to admit that Urtear looked beautiful.

Urtear was accompanied by her bodyguard, Rustyrose, rather than her father and he stepped backwards as Urtear took her place beside Jellal on the altar. Shaking hands reached out to lift up the veil and she smirked coyly at him before turning to the priest.

The priest started his speech on wedding vows but all Jellal could hear was his heartbeat speeding up. Was this really how things were going to be? He looked up wildly as the priest's voice rang out louder than ever.

"If any person here can show cause why these two people should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Jellal swallowed nervously, silently praying that Erza, or somebody, would speak up in his defence. A quick glance at Erza killed off his hopes and he exhaled dejectedly.

Suddenly, a snort echoed around the chapel and gasps were heard all over the room as a lone figure stepped out from behind one of the great stone pillars.

Flashing his trademark smirk, the blonde raised an eyebrow and snarled, "Objection, old man. Come on, you really gonna do this without the best man?"

A burst of life shocked through his system and Jellal's eyes sparkled in delight. Clad in armour, Laxus strolled up the steps and gestured for the priest to continue, grinning wickedly at the look of surprise on Urtear's face.

"Carry on Father."

The priest stuttered momentarily but pressed on as instructed.

"Do you, Jellal Fernandes take Urtear Devlin to be your lawfully wedded wife and live together forever in the estate of holy matrimony?"

The tension was, at that point, so thick that even Natsu probably couldn't penetrate it with his famed nakama punch.

Jellal stiffened but a hand gripped his shoulder and he relaxed at the signal. Everything was alright now. A rumble sounded from his chest and Jellal grinned.

"No."

A look of pure rage crossed Urtear's face as she hissed menacingly, "What is the meaning of this? I have troops ready to invade at my command if you break off this alliance."

"Well you see, plan A was to eliminate all your troops in the first battle at the forest," explained Jellal. "However, we never expected you to be able to able to incapitate one of my captains and capture another. That was problematic but then you gave me an opening to execute plan B."

Laxus grinned easily, "We utilized my capture. You guys let me leave from Devlin and that means I would be coming up behind your troops. All we had to do was plant our troops in front of the borders and in front of your troops, then the plan would be set."

The captain took a step forwards and unsheathed his sword in a second, pointing its tip at Rustyrose's throat as the bodyguard attempted to attack Jellal. Growling, he continued in a low tone.

"I'm an electric mage, Lady Urtear. I can send my electricity into the ground and heat it up to the point where it will expand so much that giant cracks can form. I can crumble the ground beneath me at will. Your entire army was surrounded with no way out." Laxus sheathed his sword. "Your army was crushed half an hour ago. This alliance is over."

Urtear let out a shriek of frustration as the crowd erupted into cheers. "How did you plan this and know that we would capture him?" She screamed and pointed a finger at Laxus, retracting it just in time as Laxus leaned forwards to bite down on it.

Jellal glanced at Erza, who was pushing through the crowd to reach them.

"We didn't really plan how to execute plan B," he stated. "Captain Dreyar was just smart enough to remember our back up plan and carried it out perfectly."

He turned to the approaching red head and spoke softly, "Captain Knightwalker, would you please escort Lady Urtear and her charge out of Edolas?"

Erza laid a hand on the hilt of her sword and smiled.

"This way if you will, Lady Urtear."

She caught his fond gaze directed at her and she turned away quickly, hiding the faint blush on her cheeks. She had heard the exchange between the three of them and had discovered a newly found respect for her king. He had turned the tide around with only the help of one of his captains and single handedly destroyed Devlin at the same time. As Urtear and Rustyrose sauntered off in front of her, she grinned lightly.

Jellal was the mage who had defeated the great Lord Dragneel. It came as no surprise that he was also a great tactician. What surprised her was how blind she had been previously. Had she misjudged the king completely?

* * *

Jellal strolled along the corridors slowly as he and Laxus made their way to the training grounds for a sparring session. The two exchanged relieved glances as they thought back to yesterday's events. Chuckling, the two of them burst into laughter, easing some of the burden in their hearts.

Jellal stretched lazily. "Devlin agreed to our treaty this morning. They will have no standing army and become a colony of Edolas in exchange for our protection."

Wiping away a stray tear, Laxus let out a breath. "So, you're now free to go back to Erza and come back as Mystogan, right?"

Scoffing, Jellal stuck his hands into his pocket moodily. "I gave up being Mystogan because I wasn't sure if you had caught onto plan B. I wasn't even sure if it would work either. If it hadn't," his eyes narrowed and he continued, "I wouldn't be able to use Mystogan as an alter ego or go after Erza." He looked away, blushing furiously. "But now that it's all over, I'm still not sure what to do. If things are to work out between me and Erza, I'm going to have to tell her one day that I'm Mystogan and she'll hate me for that. So I might just sit things out for a while."

Laxus snorted in disbelief. "You're an idiot."

Jellal looked up sharply and bit out tersely. "And why is that?"

The blonde opened his mouth to reply but he was rudely interrupted by one of the elders of Jellal's council as they passed by him.

"Your Highness, may I please have a minute with you?"

Jellal rolled his eyes and mouthed silently, "Go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later."

Laxus pouted and raised a hand in acknowledgement before turning the corner. Catching sight of the female captain at the end of the corridor, he called out to her and ran up to her.

She embraced him, relieved that he was alright and soon, the two of them were discussing the events of the past few days.

Shouts rang out around the corner suddenly and soon, Jellal was seen running towards them. Laxus grinned knowingly as he saw the elder hobbling behind the king.

"Please Your Highness, we must talk about your marriage!"

Erza immediately knelt down at the sight of her king.

"Your Highness, I apologize for all of those things that I have said in the past few days. My actions were unforgivable and I am willing to take full responsibility."

Panting, Jellal ground out between gasps of breath, "This is not…the time…to talk about this…Captain…Knightwalker."

He swiveled around briefly and gestured at Laxus, who grinned and pushed open the French windows.

Laxus knelt down to Erza's level and whispered, "Feel free to join us. Training ground three."

Erza's eyes widened as Jellal dived out of the window and Laxus followed suit, both of them plummeting fifty feet before landing lightly on their feet. She saluted mockingly at the elder before she did the same as the two males grinned up at her.

As Erza made her way over to them, Laxus punched Jellal on the shoulder.

"Don't worry," he smirked deviously, "I'll make sure that I let you two have some quality time at the training grounds."

Once again, the blonde was on the receiving end of a fierce punch from a blushing Jellal.

* * *

**Writing the wedding scene was horrible o/O immensely awkward and now even my back hurts from sitting in front of the computer for too long. Pooey. **

**Anyway, when I was planning this story, I had no idea how to stop the wedding. And then Code Geass rescued me :) I asked myself how Lelouch would have solved this dilemma and walah, here we go.**

**And yes, I inserted a jibe at Natsu in the middle, it was too tempting.**


	12. Recall

**Recall**

She could see that he was exhausted from the continual pestering of the elders and the endless meetings concerning his marriage. Even she felt pity for Jellal as she knew fully how it felt to be in his position, seeing as she herself was also contemplating the same matter.

The elders had called another meeting today and for some reason, they had thought that it would be a good idea to summon the captains as well. Laxus had begrudgingly showed up in support of Jellal, ready to defend him if necessary. Erza had the misfortune of bumping into the blonde, who literally dragged her to the meeting just for the sake of company. Cursing her bad luck, Erza blocked out the mindless droning and settled back into her chair, opting to examine the king instead.

Jellal was making no effort to listen to the elders and was supporting his aching head with his right hand. Irritation built up in his chest and his grip on his blue hair tightened. Gradually, he tuned out the constant buzz of chatter and his eyes closed. He was not in the mood to discuss the matter.

After what seemed to be hours of bickering, he opened his swollen eyelids and peered out of the window through bloodshot eyes.

The weather was beautiful and the cool air drifting through the window crack calmed his fraying nerves.

Mustering all of his strength, Jellal placed both palms on the desk and pushed himself to a standing position.

Wearily, he spoke clearly, "We will have to continue this fascinating discussion some other time. I'm afraid I'm not feeling too well."

Ignoring the elders' protests, he swept from the room.

Laxus grinned and deliberately sealed off the doors, only allowing Erza to pass through.

"Go with him," he whispered. "He's going to his secret spot."

Erza raised an eyebrow but soon, curiousity overtook her and she trailed after the king.

* * *

Jellal stopped at the edge of the woods and stared at the small patch of clearing. He inhaled deeply and slipped out of his robes, discarding them on the ground before pulling of his shirt.

The soft breeze curled around him and he could feel himself relax under the warmth of the sunlight. The tree leaves danced along with the wind, producing a calming 'shushing' noise and for the first time since the end of the war, Jellal smiled genuinely.

He arched his back, cracking the joints and ambled over to a tree stump, where he sat down and reached for a red apple which was placed in a stack next to the stump. Jellal stared at the fruit intently and memories of Porlyusica flooded his mind. He smiled as he thought back to all those summers he spent lounging around the old woman's house, stealing her apples and dodging her broom attacks.

This was one of the reasons he loved this place in the woods. It reminded him so much of Earthland and the happy times he had spent there. Chuckling loudly, he took a bite of the juicy fruit. A trickle of juice dribbled down his chin and he wiped it away using the back of his hand.

His hand reached for another apple and he tossed it lightly in his hand before he whipped it across the clearing. A slender hand shot out to catch the projectile and Erza stepped out of the shadows. Jellal closed his eyes and swallowed.

"Join me," he smiled pleasantly.

Erza complied, noting the dark rings marking his eyes and the glazed look in his eyes. Jellal stood up and offered his seat to her as he flopped onto the grass and took another bite out of his apple.

"You know you can't keep running from your duties," Erza chided gently.

Jellal stared at her blankly before bursting into laughter. Soon, he was joined by his companion.

The man sat up straighter and ruffled his hair, smirking as he said, "You should smile more often. It suits you."

Erza blushed but she brushed it off as a trick of the heat. Jellal chuckled and he continued, "I'm not running from my duties. I never really did."

He leaned forwards and stared straight into her eyes as he explained, "I was nothing but a tool for my father. While he strove for war, I wanted peace. And I found a home in Earthland."

His eyes pleaded with hers to understand.

"I don't regret leaving. I saved my family from a mad man's fantasy and those people were more of a family than my father ever was." His eyes darkened visibly. "But that doesn't matter anymore, does it? I'm back in Edolas."

Her tone was clipped as she questioned him. "And do you regret returning?"

He smiled mysteriously and Erza could feel herself smiling as well.

"Let's say I found something in Edolas worth loving."

Jellal flopped backwards and placed both of his hands behind his head and he gazed up at the clear blue sky. He glanced at Erza.

"Speaking of duties, how are your marriage preparations going?"

Erza looked taken aback at the king's interest in her affairs. She placed her apple back to the pile and crossed her legs and satisfaction flooded her as she caught the look on the man's face.

"My family has just finished compiling the list of candidates today. I will be notified tonight when I go back home."

Jellal closed his eyes tiredly.

"What do you think of it?"

The redhead blinked rapidly and looked at the ground as she replied, "It is my duty and I will try my best to…"

However, Jellal interrupted her, smiling humourlessly.

"That was what I asked, but not what I meant. I mean, what do _you _really think about it? Do you not have someone special in mind?"

He was testing her and she knew it. Swallowing, she said, "Emotions take a second priority to my duties."

Jellal grinned. She had avoided his question. He exhaled slowly as sleep started to wash over him. His breathing grew more even and he mumbled lazily, "But are you happy?"

She stared at him dumbly, realizing that she did not have an answer to his question.

"And _that_ is the difference between the two of us. I rule by emotion. You follow your duties." He shifted into a more comfortable position. "It would be better if we were to learn from one another, right?"

Erza scoffed in disbelief. Deep down, somehow she could feel some sort of connection starting to form between the two of them and she was afraid of this new development.

Composing herself, she bit out tersely, "Then the Devlin marriage was all an act?"

A long silence ensued as a half asleep Jellal tried to organize his thoughts.

"Not really. Of course I didn't want to marry Lady Urtear but I had to take a gamble to save Laxus."

Erza stared down at the peaceful expression on his face and a warm feeling spread through her body. Irritated at how her body was responding, she threw out another offhand comment.

"And that tells me that's because you've got someone in mind."

Jellal grunted a yes unconsciously and Erza looked at him curiously. Who could that girl be? A thought drifted through her mind and she pushed it away. It was most definitely not her. Everyone knew that she hated him and if she was really the one, her family would have already agreed to their marriage when reviewing the candidates list.

It didn't matter anyway. She had still not given up on _her_ happiness. Glancing at Jellal, she wondered if Mystogan would really return.

* * *

Laxus yawned loudly and crossed his arms lazily as he eyed her. She walked past him without acknowledging him and he grinned at the challenge.

"Hey, Knightwalker."

Erza stopped and turned to look at him, a hand on her hip. "What?"

Laxus cracked his neck and sauntered up to her but his face grew serious as he sized her up.

"About your marriage," he rubbed the back of his neck in frustration as he spoke clearly, "I know things didn't work out between the two of us two years ago, with me being sent to the border and stuff but I won't deny that I still have feelings for you." He raised both of his hands in defence and added hastily, "Not that I'm going to try to marry you…"

Trailing of at the offended look on Erza's face, he hastened to explain. "Look, all I'm saying is that I don't want you marrying some loser that your family deems to be the best fighter, yeah?" He grinned cheekily. "And that's why I've asked the elders and they've given me permission to be the 'examiner'. Since you know my standards better than anyone, you can see clearly how everyone else's standards are when it comes to the combat tournament."

Erza gaped at him. "You're…actually right for once."

Laxus feigned a look of hurt but he laughed and turned away. "Yeah, as tempting as it is to just beat up all of your suitors and marry you, I really wouldn't be able to face him."

"Who's _him_?"

He grinned at her knowingly and she felt her heart skip a beat. "Tch, you know who I'm talking about."

The blonde rummaged around his pockets and withdrew an envelope. He offered it to the female and she took it.

"What is it?"

Laxus ignored her question and turned to leave. Glancing behind his back, he waved a hand and said, "He'll be back, Knightwalker. Trust me."

Erza's face coloured and she inhaled deeply. She knew who he was talking about now. Trembling slightly, she eased open the flap of the envelope and pulled out the candidate list for her marriage. Her eyes scanned through the contents quickly and she froze as they landed on the last name, which had been quickly scribbled down by Laxus. She wondered if the elders knew of the captain's doing.

_Mystogan (Captain of the 1__st__ Division of the Edolas Royal Army_)

Smiling, she folded up the paper and kissed it lightly.

* * *

**Next update will probably be quite a while later since I am having…writer's block. [**


	13. Realign

**Realign**

It had been two months since the conquest of Devlin.

Normally, Erza would not have paid any attention to the king's whereabouts but lately, she noticed that he kept disappearing to someplace. He would leave early in the morning and return when it was almost midnight, always looking drained but happy nonetheless. In fact, she was pretty sure he got up earlier than she did for army training.

So it was hardly surprising that she slipped out of the palace after Jellal when she saw him leaving the grounds.

Making sure to keep a safe distance behind him, she peered through the leaves and saw him stop at the edge of the forest. It was obvious that he was heading there to train as he was sporting a black muscle shirt, loose white pants and dark combat boots.

Erza smiled to herself.

She wondered if Jellal would be a good sparring partner.

Looking up, she saw that he had lifted his head slightly, seemingly sniffing the air. A grin spread across his face slowly and he turned towards her hiding place. Jellal raised a hand and waved cheerfully at her before sprinting into the forest.

Why, that cheeky little bastard.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously but then she smiled and gave chase.

She always did like a challenge.

The two of them weaved through the thick forest, with the cat chasing the mouse. With every maneuver, Erza pushed herself even harder to catch up with Jellal. However, every time she seemed to be able to reach him, he would turn and slip out of her grasp easily. Still, she found herself enjoying this meaningless chase. It was, for some reason, relaxing and yet refreshing at the same time, especially with such a formidable opponent.

The game continued for a few more hours and soon, Erza saw him resting underneath a tree as she slid into the clearing. She was panting heavily and a shot of pain ripped through her abdomen but still, she smirked victoriously.

"Got you."

Jellal smiled lazily and took a step forwards. "I'm afraid not, Captain Knightwalker. I have something that I need to do in private. But feel free to continue your pursuit. I'll be waiting."

With that said, he closed his eyes and disappeared in a whirlwind.

* * *

Jellal was hunched over as he tried to catch his breath, sweat rolling down his face and soaking his shirt thoroughly. He straightened up and inhaled deeply. It had been a long and tiring training session but he needed to perfect his new technique.

The man stretched out his leg as far as possible and struggled to keep it straight. Pivoting on the spot suddenly, he dragged it across the sandy ground. The subsequent friction resonated through his muscles but he pressed down even harder. A few sparks ignited beneath his feet and he brought up his right hand, magic rolling off him in waves as he concentrated it at his palm. Shaking with the effort, he tried to shoot out the ball of energy. Suddenly, the ball dissipated and Jellal clutched at his arm in pain. A tingling sensation rippled through his chest and his arm turned numb rapidly.

A worried expression marred his face and he stared at his palm with wide eyes. Slowly, he flexed his arm, clenching and unclenching his fist before he tried to channel his magic again. A soft glow encircled his hand and the man closed his eyes, concentrating on controlling his magic. But then, a shot of pain jolted throughout his body once more and he released it accidentally, sending a shockwave erupting around his body and flattening the forest around him.

Jellal let out a cry as he collapsed onto the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of him and he remained motionless for a while as the world blurred into a spiral of watercolour.

Slowly, he sat up, willing his head to stop spinning.

Something was wrong…it couldn't be that…he couldn't use his magic, could it?

Huffing, the man struggled to his feet and slumped against the tree trunk heavily. A hand reached down to clutch at his aching knee and he slowly massaged at the sore spots, trying to ease the tension in them.

His magic…was it the side effects of the X-balls?

He shook his head. No, it couldn't be. Otherwise, Laxus and Erza would have also experienced something like this.

His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he came to a conclusion. That must be it.

A mage controlled his magic with the help of his emotions. In Jellal's case, his magic was more sensitive to the changes in his emotion than other mages. His emotions were very unstable and technically, the more fluctuations in his emotion, the harder it was for him to control his magic.

The blue haired man growled slightly. It had happened before during his fight with Laxus in Earthland. Erza Scarlet had thrown his emotions into disarray so badly that he had had to retire from the fight, having lost all control of his powers.

Jellal inhaled deeply. So, why was it he could use his magic during the rescue mission and the war against Devlin?

His eyes opened as realization dawned on him.

Fluctuations in his emotions were the reason for his failure to use magic. But if he was experiencing only one emotion very strongly, then there would be no fluctuations and...

A sudden rustling to his right drew his attention and Jellal looked up in surprise as a disheveled Erza skidded into view. Stray leaves and twigs were entangled in her hair but a playful smirk graced her lips.

"Got…you..."

Jellal grinned cheerlessly but then his smile faltered and he bit back a retort as he saw her wince in pain, a hand drifting up to her abdomen unconsciously. He pushed himself off the tree trunk and took a step forwards.

Erza looked at him curiously and Jellal cocked his head to the side.

"Are you feeling alright, Captain Knightwalker?" He asked, noting her pale complexion.

"Yes, Your Highness." She replied dutifully.

He hesitated. "Are you sure? You look a little pale."

Her eyes narrowed slightly but she nodded once more.

"You're…not hurt, are you? You look like you're in pain."

Erza pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration and managed to grind out between gritted teeth, "I am _fine_, Your Highness."

She winced again and her hand clutched at her stomach. Jellal opened his mouth to speak but then it finally hit him. He stared at her wordlessly, obviously embarrassed. He could feel the immense heat creeping up along his neck all the way to the tip of his ears and he stumbled backwards, arms raised in defence.

Spluttering, he blurted out, "I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I didn't know…"

Erza stared at him for a few seconds before she burst out laughing at his cluelessness and he stopped mid-rant. She wiped away a stray tear that had sprung up at the corner of her eye and exhaled loudly.

"You're not good with girls, I can tell."

Jellal's face flushed even brighter red and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm pretty useless in that aspect."

Erza grinned wickedly as Jellal looked away pointedly. She had to admit, he was really cute when he acted innocent. She took a step forwards, watching him shift uncomfortably, and smirked devilishly. Might as well have some fun after all of that hard work he had put her through.

The redhead threw her arms into the air and stretched seductively as she made her way to the king slowly. A satisfied gleam flickered in her eyes as she saw Jellal swallow nervously, obviously confused at the unexpected turn of events.

"Captain…?"

"Ah, it's so hot here…" She groaned, her voice husky and with eyes half closed. Her hands trailed down teasingly to her bra and she made a move to tug at it.

At that moment, Jellal lost it.

"Gah!" He barked, head turned to the side with one hand over his eyes while the other was stretched out in front of him, trying to shield the offending sight. "What are you doing?"

"Me?" Erza countered innocently, "I was just thinking of cooling down by…"

"No! No! Stop it!" He shouted and whipped around, both hands covering his face tightly, only to find himself smashing against a tree and falling backwards onto his back.

Erza laughed as he sat up, clutching his bleeding nose.

As her laughter rang around the clearing, Jellal couldn't help but smile as well.

Her laughter had to be one of the sweetest sounds he had ever heard in his life.

* * *

Laxus breathed in deeply, savouring the fresh air. He stepped out from under the arch and the glaring sunlight blinded him. He shielded his eyes and squinted at two distant figures. After a while, the captain grinned broadly.

"Well, isn't this a brilliant sight."

Jellal and Erza were walking back to the castle casually. The female was gesturing animatedly while the king listened quietly, nodding when it was appropriate. She closed her hand in a fist and laughed but Jellal stared at her incredulously.

Laxus scratched the back of his head. This seemed like great progress between the two of them but he knew that Knightwalker was most likely discussing battle strategies with Jellal.

"Those two are so stupid sometimes," he muttered darkly under his breath. "Do I really have to lock them in a closet together or something?"

Growling, the blonde stormed over to the two.

"Hey," he raised a hand in greeting. "How was your _session_?"

Jellal looked at him suspiciously as Erza replied. "Well, we never really got to spar."

"Ah," Laxus threw his hands in the air. "Of course, you guys must have been busy trying out new things."

"Laxus…" Jellal growled warningly.

Erza blushed as the previous events came back to her.

Laxus waved his hand dismissively. "I just wanted to give you this," he said as he stuffed a few pieces of paper into Jellal's face.

"Can't I sign this when I get…what is this?" Jellal asked with a frown.

"Well," Laxus replied cheerfully, "this is the list of approved candidates for Knightwalker's marriage."

Knightwalker looked mortified at the fact that the king was currently looking through the list but Jellal pretended to look uninterested although his facial expression betrayed him.

Laxus pressed on. "I'm the 'adjudicator' for this tournament, so it'll be amazing. I can't wait to kick those sissies' asses."

Jellal coughed lightly. "Well, I'm sure there are some good fighters in here." He leafed through the pages, eyes scanning the list of names.

"So Knightwalker," Laxus rounded on the female. "Who are your favourites to win?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, who is _your_ _favourite_?"

Jellal nodded slowly, not really listening to the conversation. There were a few fighters on the list who were quite strong.

Erza ignored the double meaning of the question and looked away.

The blonde slung an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, admit it. It's got to be Mystogan, right?"

Erza nodded grudgingly, cheeks flushed. At the same time, Jellal looked up in surprise.

"Wait, what?"

Laxus jabbed a finger at the last name on the list gleefully. "Here it is! Mystogan!"

Jellal's eyes widened.

Laxus had played him.

Jellal looked up to see Erza blushing furiously at Mystogan's name. He opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind and gestured silently for Laxus to follow him.

Laxus mock saluted at Erza and grinned, "Got to run baby, duty calls."

She glanced at the two men's retreating backs suspiciously. Something was up with Jellal and she had a nagging suspicion that it had to do with her.

* * *

He placed both hands behinds his head, with his fingers interlaced. "You can yell at me now, Jellal." He said as they moved out of earshot.

Jellal sighed. "I retired Mystogan for a reason, Laxus."

"Well, if you're ok with Knightwalker marrying a pansy, that's cool with me," Laxus laughed as a look of horror crossed Jellal's face. "I was just joking. As if a loser could beat me." He stuck his thumb into his chest arrogantly and scoffed. "Besides, I know you're dying to fight in that tournament."

"What? No!" Jellal denied hotly.

His captain slapped him on the back, causing him to stumble a few steps. "You're terrible at lying. You've been training for the past two months non-stop. Even Knightwalker's noticed!"

"Well…I…"

Laxus ruffled his blue hair. "I merely did what you've always wanted to do but never had the guts to do." He turned to a doorway on the side, "You can thank me by making me godfather of your little Jellals and Knightwalkers!"

Jellal gaped at him but he held up a hand, silencing the king. His ears perked up slightly. A wicked smile made its way onto his face and Laxus spoke up loudly. "Well, better get a move on, Jellal. She's not gonna wait forever!"

Jellal winced at the high volume. "You really don't have to shout. I'm just standing next to you. Do you want the whole world to know?"

He whipped around as someone interjected suddenly. "So, who is this lucky girl you're talking about?"

Erza Knightwalker stood behind them, a hand on her hip, having stumbled onto them and overhearing the last bit of the conversation.

"Well," drawled Laxus, "Your Highness here likes this _girl_ but he doesn't dare to act on his _desires_…"

Jellal covered his face with his hand. "For crying out loud, Laxus. Stop this madness." His eyes pleaded with the blonde but to no avail.

Erza smirked at Jellal's discomfort and she glanced at Laxus. The blonde caught her eye and he started casually, "And I just _happen_ to know who that girl is"

"Oh, so who is she?"

"Ah, she's.."

"All right, all right! I'll do it!" Jellal clapped a hand over Laxus' mouth. "I'll enter the tournament," he hissed in Laxus' ear.

Laxus grinned triumphantly and struggled free from Jellal's hold on him. "He likes Coco."

Jellal smashed his head against the wall in frustration. "Captain Knightwalker, do _not_ listen to him."

Erza nodded, trying to hold back her laughter. "I know, I know."

If only a hole would just open up in the ground and swallow him whole.


	14. Reverse

**Reverse**

Jellal slumped back into his seat. Reading and signing documents were definitely not the best way to start the day.

Sighing dejectedly, he stood up and started to sort through the stacks of files on his desk.

A quick glance told him that the stack of documents on his left were way overdue their deadlines and he picked it up - feeling slightly happier - before dumping it on the floor heavily. Just another four stacks to go.

He shifted the weight of another stack into his arms and placed it at the corner of his desk. Letting out a loud sigh, he sat down at his desk. At least he could see the door now that the documents were piled on both sides of his desk.

A hand reached up to select a file but Jellal soon found that he couldn't quite reach it. Growling obscenities under his breath, the king stood up abruptly and grabbed the offending file. Sitting back down, he flipped it open and started reading, all the while still muttering darkly.

Slowly, Jellal found himself carrying out the task mechanically. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't hear the soft knock on his door or see the figure enter quietly.

A steaming mug of hot coffee was placed on the small spot on the desk that he had managed to clear. He didn't look up but his hand reached for it gratefully and he murmured distractedly, "Thanks Coco."

Something registered faintly in his mind that something was different today but he was too busy to notice. As he took a sip of the liquid, she spoke up. "My apologies for interrupting you, Your Highness."

His eyes widened and he nearly spat out his mouthful of coffee - be it because it tasted disgustingly like bitter water or because he recognized the familiar voice – he didn't know. Coughing slightly, Jellal set the cup down and looked up to find Erza staring at him with an amused expression on her face.

"Erz…I mean Captain Knightwalker, what are you doing here? Why…" He asked, gesturing at the mug of coffee.

Erza held back her laughter as she replied. "Coco was called away by Captain Dreyar. I happened to be passing by so I was given the task of preparing your coffee."

Jellal eyed the beverage warily. He was sure that he would die of food poisoning if he took another sip but he plastered a smile on his face, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"Well then, thank you Captain," he said pleasantly.

Trying to ignore the bitter aftertaste on his tongue, Jellal picked up his pen and started to sign the document in front of him. He could still feel her gaze burning into him and he murmured, "Anything I can do for you, Captain Knightwalker?"

Erza straightened up slightly. "I would like to request permission for two weeks leave, Your Highness."

His pen slipped suddenly, leaving a long pen mark all across the piece of paper. He berated himself mentally. He was overreacting to everything little thing she did. It was ridiculous.

Sighing, he decided to abandon the task at hand and concentrate on the female in front of him. He spread out both of his palms, signaling for her to explain.

Erza nodded and continued. "I was hoping that I could go on leave to return home to…tie up some loose ends in regards to my marriage."

Jellal did not speak for a moment. For some reason, his heart was pounding against his chest so hard that he was sure Erza could hear it. He had forgotten about the whole thing. As memories of Laxus' blackmail came back to him, he stood up uncertainly.

Erza stared at him expectantly.

He cleared his throat quietly. "Of course, of course. Please, take all the time you need." His eyes flickered around the room nervously as he refused to look at her. Shuffling the papers on his desk, Jellal spoke again. "This is in preparation for one of the most important days in your life after all."

Relief was evident in her eyes and Erza saluted stiffly in thanks. "Thank you, Your Highness." She took a deep breath. "However, I'm afraid Captain Dreyar will have to accompany me as well since he has to organize some things for the tournament as 'adjudicator'."

As if on cue, Jellal took a step to his left, narrowly avoiding a hug aimed at him as said captain swung in through the open window and slid across the desk, throwing all of the papers into the air, and landed on his back in front of the female.

"Nice of you to drop in Laxus," Jellal smirked. He needed some excitement in his life at the moment. Paperwork was just pure torture.

The blonde groaned. "You're as good as they all say. How did you know?"

The blue haired man shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? I'm just that good." He grinned as he rounded the table. Extending a hand to the blonde, he jerked his head at Erza briefly. "Besides, Knightwalker would have taken your head off if you were an assailant."

"Good point," Laxus grunted as Jellal pulled him off the ground. Erza grinned easily as Laxus gave her a high five.

Jellal laughed. "Laxus, you can go with Knightwalker on one condition." He grinned wickedly. "Finish the paperwork here," he said, gesturing at the papers strewn all over his office.

At this point, Erza burst out laughing at the look of horror and mortification on Laxus' face.

"Come on Jellal! This is torture!" he whined.

"Welcome to my world," Jellal retorted dryly.

"I don't believe this…" Laxus snarled irritably and set to work, picking up all of the papers at his feet.

The king grinned as he made eye contact with Erza. He reached for the coffee on his table - which had somehow survived the blonde's surprise attack - and held it up to his lips before he remembered and instead set it back down on the table. He was too young to die yet.

Erza saluted once more and turned to leave at Jellal's dismissal. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back to face him.

"If I may ask, Your Highness, is Mystogan back yet?"

The two men froze momentarily. Laxus glanced up from where he was crouched and he met Jellal's gaze. A silent understanding passed between them and Jellal said, "Um…yes, he just got back from his mission."

He winced at how stupid it sounded. Mages did not return from a 100 year old mission after three months only.

Swallowing, he called out at her retreating back. "Captain Knightwalker."

She stopped mid-step and turned to look at him.

He took a deep breath. "What is your relationship with Mystogan?"

Silence ensued. Laxus straightened up slowly, looking between the two of them curiously.

A blush crept up along Erza's neck as she tried to conjure up a decent reply. There was a glimmer of hope and expectation in Jellal's eyes and this confused her. Did he want them to be together?

He licked his lips nervously and her eyes darted down to his mouth before flickering back to his face. Somehow, she had a feeling that there was a deeper, hidden meaning behind his question.

"We're…we're friends, colleagues." She said, trying to keep her tone professional.

The tension was so thick at this point that it was almost suffocating. The two of them did not move, but there seemed to be some sort of connection. Jellal took a step backwards, almost as if to put some distance between them before he spoke softly.

"That's all?"

His eyes gave nothing away but Erza could feel the disappointment in them. She fought back the urge to smile. Did Jellal really approve of their relationship that much?

Laxus cleared his throat loudly. "Well," he grinned, trying to break the tension, "I'll see you in the morning then Knightwalker." He gave her a little wave as she left the room, clearly disturbed.

As the door closed with an audible 'click', the blonde said quietly, "She didn't mean it, don't worry Jellal."

Jellal sighed. "I hope so." He glanced at Laxus.

The captain grinned, "Yeah yeah, I know. I won't let any of her suitors touch her while we're there."

"You know me too well."

* * *

The moment Erza set foot in her house, she was dragged off to meet her parents before being locked in her room for hours as she had her measurements taken down for her wedding dress.

He had not moved from his spot in the courtyard all this time. Sitting on the steps in front of one of the many exits, he leaned back, resting his aching head against the cool wood as he breathed in the fresh air deeply.

Erza's house was modeled after the ancient Japanese houses, with the curved rectangular tiled roofs and the beautiful dragon sculptures balanced delicately on the corners. Surrounding the huge complex was an even larger courtyard, which was in turn framed by a maze of walls.

Slowly, he stretched lazily and struggled to his feet. Laxus shuffled over to the pond and stared down at the koi swimming leisurely. Somehow, the blur of gold, orange, silver and black seemed to relax him and his breathing slowed down as his eyes glazed over. Gradually, his thoughts drifted back towards Jellal and Erza.

Laxus loved helping the two of them out, trying to get the two of them to realize their feelings. But on the other hand, he recognized the importance of the two of them developing the relationship themselves. He could push them in the correct direction but he couldn't develop it for them.

He closed his eyes tiredly. Over the months, the whole ordeal had also helped him sort out his own priorities. Seeing Erza and Jellal had reminded him of the times when he had first started to date Erza, when he had been in love. With a pang, he realized that he wanted to settle down as well.

Someone called his name behind him and he turned around.

"They decided to call it a day for today," Erza explained breathlessly.

Laxus slipped back into his carefree mood easily as he teased her. "So why is it that you look like you've been chased all around the complex?"

The female punched him on the arm lightly. "That's because my suitors weren't as understanding as my parents were."

A scuffling noise echoed around the courtyard as someone shot around the corner.

"You're got to be kidding me," Erza murmured to herself.

A flamboyant looking man rounded the corner. He was wearing a thick fur coat, seemingly immune to the sweltering heat of the summer sun, and had long white hair that trailed down his back in messy strands. His wrinkled face was also framed by a long white beard and he wore a black eye patch on his right eye.

"Erza baby!" He cried, overwhelmed by joy now that he had finally caught up with the female.

Erza shuddered but Laxus let out a loud whistle. "Damn Erza, you've even got Purehito wooing you?" He let out a bark of laughter. "Isn't he like a hundred or something?"

Hades sidled over to her, eyes moist with tears. "I haven't seen you for so long, my dear," he crooned in a sickly voice.

"I don't believe we've even met," deadpanned Erza.

Hades ignored her pointedly and gushed enthusiastically, "And you're looking as beautiful as ever, ah what is this young love?" He threw his arms into the air before sinking down to one knee.

Erza was to busy struggling to keep her temper in check to tell him that he was nowhere near 'young'.

Laxus, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. He snorted loudly and Hades turned his attention to the captain. "And who is this mighty fine young fellow?"

Erza rolled her eyes as Laxus grinned wickedly. "Who, me?" He pointed at himself with dramatic effect. "I'm her boyfriend," he smirked.

Both Erza and Hades gaped at him.

Laxus feigned innocence. "What?"

Erza glared at him and shoved him towards the exit. "My apologies Lord Purehito, there has been some _misunderstanding_," she growled.

Without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door shut behind them.

"What was that about?" She demanded, placing a hand on her hip.

"Just trying to save your sexy ass, that's all." Laxus retorted.

Her hands found themselves wrapped around his neck immediately. "Ack…what the heck are you doing? Can't…breathe…" Laxus choked out.

The redhead inhaled deeply, trying desperately to calm her fraying nerves. "It's only been a day and I feel like I'm going crazy."

Laxus chuckled. "Well, you're probably not going to enjoy what's coming next then."

"What's coming next?"

The door was flung open with perfect timing, smashing into the blonde's face. This time, a huge, overweight man with dark, spiky hair appeared in the doorway. He was sweating bullets, and at the sight of the woman, he immediately knelt down onto the ground. Extracting a sorry looking piece of paper from his pocket, he started reciting a poem monotonously.

"Dearest Erza," he stammered, "your hair is the colour of tomato sauce and you remind me of a blood coloured rose, beautiful but prickly…"

He was swiftly interrupted by Erza. "Lord Kain, are you trying to insult me?" She ground out between gritted teeth, massaging both her temples.

Kain never got to reply as he found himself flattened by the door which he had flung open only moments earlier.

Laxus picked himself off the floor painfully, rubbing at his sore nose. He had torn the door off its hinges in his rage and flung it at the man mercilessly as irritation finally got the better of him.

"That idiot! Is he trying to kill me?" He snarled bitterly. "Come on," he grabbed Erza's hand, "we're getting out of here before another one of your stupid suitors shows up and kills me."

* * *

They found themselves sitting on the roof, overlooking the courtyard. The sakura trees had started to blossom and the cherry blossoms fell down like a whirlwind of pink snow. The wind weaved through the petals and curled around them delightfully, dancing along with them.

"I love your place. It somehow gives off this really soothing vibe, you know?"

Erza smiled and flopped down on her back. "It is. My family's really traditional but you probably gathered that already." She glanced at Laxus, who in turn shot her a broad grin. "Probably that's why my father drilled into me the whole idea of fulfilling my duties and all that. Well, at least he didn't try to convince me to commit seppuku if I ever failed to do so." She laughed lightly.

"So, I'm guessing that he wants your fiancée to be a brilliant fighter to carry on the Knightwalker tradition?" Laxus offered. She nodded.

"Well what do you know? You've already found one." Erza sat up quickly as Laxus continued, "A dashing young captain of the Royal Edolas army. With the looks, the talent and a very, very long and big…" He trailed off, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. That earned him a punch on the arm.

"Geez, chill Knightwalker. I was just talking about myself," he mumbled. "But seriously, you've been a lot happier since you met him. You never used to laugh that much when _we_ dated." Laxus pouted in mock jealousy.

Erza stared out into the courtyard, watching intently as the sakura landed softly on the water. Softly, she spoke. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For breaking it off so suddenly without trying to work things out or talk things over," she whispered.

"Hey." Laxus slipped his hand under her chin and tilted it up so that she was staring at him. "I understand. We were young and we made some mistakes. I got sent to the border and it just happened." He retracted his hand suddenly. "No hard feelings. In fact, we make better friends than lovers."

She stared at him wordlessly for a moment before she broke out into a smile. Laxus shifted over slightly so that they were sitting closer together.

"So, tell me honestly," he said seriously, "do you like Mystogan or Jellal?"

"I don't like Jellal," she responded defensively. "I…"

Laxus threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Erza, I've known you for five years. And I've dated you for two of those five years. I know when you're lying." He chided gently. "Besides, I recognize that look in your eyes."

She glanced at him guiltily but he looked away, eyes unreadable. It was that look in her eyes that still tugged at his heart strings. She had used to look at him that way too. Back when they were in love. But then he turned back to her and grinned and all was well again.

"Come on, tell me."

There was something about the blonde that made her let her guard down around him and she caved in. "I like Mystogan," she confessed. "But ever since he left, I've started to fall for Jellal, especially since the Devlin war." He didn't speak but his eyes sparkled with delight and Erza sighed. "Jellal just reminds me of Mystogan." She sat up straighter. "But it doesn't matter, right? Mystogan's the only one who's trying out."

"Ah," Laxus grunted knowingly. "Well, I'm very happy for you." He flashed her a smile. "Do I get to be the godfather of your kids?"

Erza groaned and buried her face in her hands and Laxus rolled his eyes. "Oh fine, we can talk about that later. But seriously Erza, I'm thinking of settling down too."

Her ears perked up. "Really? That's great Laxus. So who is she?"

"Oh you know Knightwalker. Since you were the Fairy Hunter, you got any hot babes from Fairy Tail that you haven't killed off yet that you can recommend?"

* * *

**Rejoice, this is the longest chapter so far (though it's still quite short). Take it as a bonus for being such awesome readers.**

**First of all, thank you so much for the reviews. You have no idea how happy they make me and they give me a lot of motivation to continue updating this as fast as I can (reason why I'm updating this first instead of CC, sorry Saint :P ). Hopefully my updates make you as happy as your reviews make me.**

**Second is that I'm trying to improve my writing and so I'm experimenting with some different styles and my writing might be a bit raw. Is it better or worse or just about the same?**

**Third thing is that I've kinda moved away from the angst/action to humour/romance. Apparently I suck at writing shitty poems as well, sorry. I really wanted to let Rustyrose be the one to spout out nonsensical poems but then I remembered that he was in the previous chapters already (as Urtear's bodyguard). Bleh.**

**Anyway, Jellal will disappear for about one or two chapters. I know it seems like I spend too much time on Laxus but he's pretty good for character development (and pure humour). Plus, it seems like Erza never gets to talk to Laxus alone so I decided to write this little scene. I'm not a fan of LaxusErza but somehow I couldn't resist writing about their past relationship, it seemed like a nice comparison to Erza's current one. Yes, I made Hades a pervert (since he reminded me of one) and Kain a blubbering cowardly idiot. I'm sorry, I actually quite like Hades.**

**The last thing is that I have planned the story up till the fallout (which just about everyone has anticipated that there will be one) but I need your help. Any ideas on what they would be screaming at each other? Except for the 'I hate you' s and the wonderful death threats like 'die', any thoughts?**

**Wehey, so fun facts!**

**1. Laxus was never meant to be in this story at all. He just somehow jumped into my head when I was writing chapter 1 and I moulded the story's skeletal framework around him. And here we are, weird yeah?**

**2. I'm estimating that this story will have around 18 or 20 chapters, depends on how the fallout works**


	15. Reconcile

**Reconcile**

The blonde let out a contented sigh as he walked out of the bathroom completely naked, having thoroughly enjoyed his steaming hot shower. He stretched, cracking his neck and padded into his bedroom. Humming to himself, Laxus reached for his boxers just as the doors burst open and Erza shot into his room before slamming them shut behind her.

"What the…?" He cried as he shielded his manhood with his boxers. "Knightwalker! You _cannot_ just burst into other people's rooms without knocking!"

"Oh come on Laxus," Erza said between pants, "it's not anything I haven't seen before."

Laxus stared at her in utter horror. "What?"

Erza shot him a grin as she tried to catch her breath while leaning against the door heavily. The blonde ducked behind his bed and struggled into his boxers before reemerging.

"Wait," Laxus started slowly, "so does that mean…you've hit third base with Mystogan already?" His eyes sparkled mischievously. "Cause you sure as heck didn't see mine."

Erza looked at him flatly. "Nice try."

He tapped his chin in mock thoughtfulness. "Ah, I see. So you got _Jellal_ already." The look of mortification on the red head's face was priceless and he threw back his head and roared with laughter.

"Don't you dare say that in public," the female hissed, face red with embarrassment, "people might think it's true. Besides, I would never fall for that…that weakling. He's a total idiot."

"Are you sure?" He smirked teasingly.

_Knightwalker…can you love and hate someone at the same time?_

She swallowed as she stared at him blankly. He could read her like an open book, no matter how hard she tried to hide her feelings. She could feel her heart beating faster with every minute as she contemplated the question that she had always asked herself but never answered.

"You get flustered so easily, Knightwalker."

Erza pushed herself off from the door and strode forwards, eyebrows raised in a desperate attempt to salvage the remnants of her pride. "You wish."

He feigned surprise. "Oh I don't have to wish for it. All I have to do is _mention_ your love life." He smirked, "Oh my bad, I mean lack of love life." He dodged the missile she threw at him and winced as the sound of breaking porcelain echoed around the room.

The female sighed and flopped onto the couch. Running a hand through her hair, she glanced at Laxus and for a brief moment, she looked as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. And it looked as if she would crack under the pressure soon if she didn't sort out her emotions. Laxus stepped forwards and knelt before her, his gaze never leaving her face. He just hoped that Jellal would tell her the truth soon.

She glanced at him and a mutual understanding passed between them before he flicked her on the forehead. She reared back in surprise before pouting at him and he grinned. "So, you wanna tell me why you're in my room?"

A small smile made its way across her face and Erza rolled her eyes. "Gajeel was doing the shoobidoobop. And yes, he's an incredibly fast runner. He's as fast as me."

Laxus whistled. "The tournament starts in an hour and you've still got suitors chasing after you? Sweet...but now if you wanna just go…so that I can get ready for your thing…"

Erza grinned and waved as she exited the room. As the door shut with a click, the male turned towards the window and unlocked it, allowing a cloaked figure to slip into the room. A hand reached up to pull off the hood, revealing a man with shocking blue hair and a tattoo on his face.

"Nice to know that you two hold me in such regard," Jellal drawled lazily.

Laxus flexed his fingers, testing if his armoured gloves fit and replied casually, "You should hear the way she used to talk about you. The only things I remember are insults and lots of swearing." He glanced up briefly at the king. "I'm gonna tell you straight up. You better tell her the truth soon before it blows up in your face man. And I can assure you that it will. I don't want to cover for you _again_. You have no idea how annoying it is to have two depressed morons hanging around you." He flashed a grin in Jellal's direction and Jellal nodded.

"Hopefully, I can."

* * *

Without attracting attention to herself, Erza managed to weasel her way onto the roof where she perched herself on the edge, allowing her a full view of the training grounds.

She could see the nobles and their families filing into the grounds onto the stands as Laxus stepped into the centre of the sandy arena, patiently waiting for his first opponent. The cool breeze caressed her face lovingly and she leant backwards into its gentle embrace, enjoying the warm sunlight beating down on her back. She wasn't particularly interested in the earlier fights. In fact, she was only interested in the last one, involving a certain masked captain. A sudden roar rang out through the clearing as the first competitor entered the fray and she leant forwards as the adrenalin rushed through her body suddenly.

"Hmm…Lord Zeref," a deep baritone rang out clearly behind the female captain and she whipped around.

"Jell…Your Highness!" She blurted out.

He smiled gently and sat down beside her. Erza shivered slightly. She was aware of the close proximity between them and she wet her lips self-consciously. He glanced at her but she avoided his gaze intentionally, choosing to focus on the two fighters in the arena. Slowly, Jellal turned back towards the fight.

Zeref was unleashing a flurry of attacks at Laxus, who was parrying his every blow with minimal effort. A sadistic smile graced her face as she realized that Laxus was toying with Zeref. She turned to look at Jellal as he let out a low chuckle. His eyes sparkled with amusement and he explained offhandedly.

"Zeref is the most powerful mage in Earthland, so it's only reasonable that he's a terrible fighter in Edolas."

He turned to face her. The wind ruffled his hair gently, throwing shadows across his face and his blue locks covered his eyes. Erza could feel her face heat up slowly as she realized that Jellal had never looked more handsome than he was now. Her breathing echoed in her ears as her heartbeat sped up gradually. Her mind went blank and for some reason, she found herself leaning forwards slightly. She could see the surprise in his onyx eyes before it melted into undulated hunger and soon, he leaned forwards as well. Their faces were so close that she could feel his warm breath mingle with hers and soon, the world around her faded. But still, neither of them moved. Disappointment washed over her and she made to straighten up before she stiffened at his tightening grip on her arm. Her instincts told her to leave but she did not move and Jellal closed the distance between them.

It wasn't soft or gently but almost desperate, as if he had contained his feelings for too long. His strong hands encircled her slim wrists as he pulled her close to him. He tasted sweet and she could smell his musky scent. Mixed with the smell of freshly laundered robes, it smelt warm and familiar and she inhaled deeply, trying to memorise its every detail. He nibbled teasingly on her lower lip, asking for permission to enter. She complied with his request and Jellal slipped his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. His fingers threaded through her scarlet hair and he let out a low purr as her hands made its way lightly down his back. The female moved closer with renewed urgency and he responded by holding her tightly against his chest. She could feel the warm pulsing of his heart and the need to dominant filled her senses and she bit down on his lip hard, drawing blood. Jellal hissed in pain but they were too lost in what they were doing to care. Her slender hands fisted in his robes and his fingers danced downwards along her spine, causing her to arch her back slightly.

They broke apart for a moment, gasping for air, before Jellal pulled her close once more. Erza closed her eyes when he sucked on her ear lobe lightly and she groaned with pleasure. Tilting her head to the right so that more of her neck was exposed, she shivered as the male laid a trail of burning kisses down the length of her neck. He sucked lightly on her smooth skin, careful not to mark her although the overwhelming desire was threatening to overspill. He had a feeling that when this was all over, she would probably castrate him but to hell with the consequences, he couldn't care less.

A roar rang out across the training grounds, cutting short their little venture as Laxus ended the fight, having grown bored of toying with Zeref.

They gazed at each other, panting, before Erza looked away, embarrassed that she had lost control so easily. No one had ever invoked such feelings from her and she felt vulnerable. He did not look at her either, clearly unsure of what to make of everything. He could tell that she was affected by all of this and by the time he managed to summon up the courage to look at her, she had already hidden her heart behind a shield of armour. Erza turned back towards him and their eyes met briefly. She could see the pain and hurt in his eyes but he could also see the confusion and uncertainty in hers.

The redhead threw up her hands in exasperation and she choked out a harsh answer to his silent question.

"I don't know what happened but…this never happened."

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed and his reply came out as a mere whisper. "Why?"

She looked at him in disbelief. "Because we're not thinking clearly. You…I don't like you that way. Actually, I don't like you at all so…"

He nodded curtly, eyes darkening and she couldn't read his expression. "Understood."

"And…it's not like you feel anything either," she added, trying to reassure herself.

And for some reason, he agreed readily. "Of course not."

The captain let out a sigh of relief and left without another word. Jellal stared after her retreating back and he buried his head in his hands as soon as she disappeared from sight. His fingers entangled in his shocking blue hair and his grip tightened as the previous event caught up with him.

"What have I done?" He whispered to himself.

What was he doing?

What had he done?

How could things have turned out so badly?

He looked up angrily. Laxus was now fighting a man with long, green hair. The blonde was pushing him back with every blow of his sword while the other could only dodge and run, rapier hanging uselessly in his hand. But Jellal didn't care. He didn't care about his duties. He didn't care about the fight. He didn't care about Edolas. All he cared about was her but it just wasn't working out for him. He was in a constant state of indecision, living in a state of being wronged. He wanted to tell her to stay away but he also wanted to hold her close to him. He wanted to leave it all behind but at the same time, he wanted her to let him stay. It was almost like he had been stumbling around blindly in the dark since the beginning and still hadn't made any leeway.

Jellal sighed tiredly and focused on the next fight. It would be better if he didn't think about it now.

* * *

Simply put, Laxus was bored. So far, all of his opponents were either wimps or loud mouthed but unskilled morons. He wanted a challenge. He wanted someone who could push him to his limits and if possible, beyond them. The man took a long sip from his water flask and eyed his next opponent.

The man was a lot taller than him and he only wore loose black shorts and long boots. He had an eye patch over his left eye and his jaw was framed by a steel protector. A grin adorned the captain's face as he took in the man's strong build and muscular arms.

"Duke Simon," Laxus murmured to himself. "Now this should be good."

A hand reached up to wipe away the dribble of water on his chin and Laxus swallowed an X-ball. Straightening up, he sauntered over to where Simon was waiting.

"Here," he said coolly, tossing another X-ball to the Duke. "I want to see you use your magic."

Simon inclined his head politely and complied. His eyes widened as the magic rushed through his veins and his hands clenched into fists.

"This is…"

Laxus chuckled quietly and slipped into a fighting stance. A hush descended upon the crowd. Suddenly, he shot forwards and thrust his palm into Simon's exposed chest, discharging the electrical energy outwards. But then, he winced in pain as Simon's hand closed around his wrist. He looked up in surprise to see that Simon's chest and hand had transformed into a scrabble of rocks and he fell to his knees as his arm was twisted behind his back.

Trying hard not to cry out, his leg shot out underneath him and slammed itself against the back of Simon's knee. Caught by surprise, Simon fell backwards as his knee gave way and his grip on Laxus loosened, allowing the blonde to wriggle out from his grasp. The captain turned just as Simon regained his footing and metal clashed with rock as Laxus brought up his sword to block the oncoming blow. Grunting with the effort, Laxus found himself being pushed backwards with each step. He rolled out of the way suddenly, dodging the heavy swing from the left and threw his metal boomerang towards his opponent. Pulling the metal wire back quickly, the weapon wrapped around Simon's arm and Laxus sent his electricity along its length but it dissipated as soon as it hit Simon's body.

Laxus cursed loudly. "Damn insulators."

Simon smashed a solid fist into the man's face, sending him sprawling across the sandy arena. Placing his palm on the ground, he pushed his magic underground. The ground started trembling and for a moment, Laxus was sure that it was an earthquake before it exploded and pillars of sharp rock shot up from beneath him.

He back flipped and Laxus sent his magic underground, grinning at the fury on Simon's face as the rocks crumbled into dust. Clasping his hands together, he released his most powerful spell.

"Let's rumble!" He cried out in excitement as a streak of lightning exploded upwards from the holes where Simon's rock had previously come from, enveloping Simon's whole body in a blinding white light. The electrical energy expanded outwards and a powerful shockwave rocked the area.

He couldn't hear the roar of the crowd over the thunderous wind, nor could he see Simon with all the dust and sand in the air.

Was it over yet?

No it wasn't, he mused to himself humourlessly as the dust cleared but still, he was satisfied to see that Simon's rock armour had cracked and even crumbled in certain places. Sparks crackled around his hand and he charged once more. Weaving through the jagged rocks protruding from the ground, Laxus stabbed his sword straight into the middle of Simon's chest and grinned wickedly.

Simon did not move, expecting the sword to clash uselessly against his rock chest. What he did not notice was that Laxus had heated his sword with his electricity so that his weapon would be able to penetrate Simon's defence. As the sword slipped between the cracks in the armour, Laxus twisted it, effectively cracking the whole armour. Laxus flicked his sword upwards, allowing the tip to graze Simon's naked chest.

"You. Lose." He laughed easily.

Simon gave him a polite smile, slightly stunned, and nodded. "So it seems."

He extended a hand and Laxus grasped it firmly as the crowd roared in approval.

As Simon turned away, Laxus folded his arms and glanced in the direction of the roof. Knightwalker was nowhere to be found but his eyebrows furrowed at the dejected look on Jellal's face.

"That idiot. What did he do now?"

He glanced at the elders, who were currently discussing Simon's performance approvingly, and turned back towards Jellal only to see no one.

Of course, Mystogan's fight was coming up next.

* * *

**My finals are this Tuesday (26/5) and I still manage to put out a chapter. What can I say? Studying is insanely boring. **

**There's this wonderfully vicious cycle where no one updates because no one has any ideas because no one's updating because no one has any ideas because no one's updating because no one –bricked- **

**Ok, sorry, but you get the point XD**

**So I was rereading Retribution from the beginning and I just realized, there is a shit load of action but close to zero romance e.e how terrible. Why didn't you tell me! D8 No but seriously, that's what I thought about my story and so…this chapter popped up. I did debate whether to let Jellal kiss Erza though. But obviously, I made up the whole thing because I have no idea how it happens and the last time I read a fic with a decent/detailed scene was like…at least a year ago with SasuSaku…or maybe even longer with Vegeta/Bulma. So yes, imagination –dances around-**

**Any suggestions for upcoming chapters?**


	16. Reveal

**Reveal**

_We've got our backs against the ocean, it's just us against the world ~ All or Nothing (Theory of a Deadman)_

A finger traced over her lips lightly before a ferocious scowl adorned her face as her thoughts drifted back to Jellal. She was Erza Knightwalker, Champion of Edolas! She was strong and brave. She had killed hundreds of enemies without batting an eyelash and she was feared throughout the kingdom. Yet at this moment, she felt weak and pathetic for letting a single kiss affect her so dearly.

Erza didn't even know why she was still trying to convince herself that everything was alright because _clearly_, it wasn't alright. She could no longer think straight when things involved Mystogan or Jellal. It was suffocating, the way her feelings conflicted with one another and the lack of understanding on her part tugged at her heart strings. She only felt bitterness now, the hollowness inside her ringing true as she contemplated her dilemma.

What did she want?

What was she to do?

What was she actually feeling?

Did Jell…no, not Jellal, did _Mystogan_ feel the same way?

She shook her head, the frustration rolling off her in waves. She was starting to confuse the two of them.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice someone standing in front of her until it was too late. Erza could feel her cheeks flame up as she crashed headfirst into Mystogan. A strong hand shot out to pull her up before she hit the ground and she stumbled backwards slightly as she regained her footing.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Of all the people she could have bumped into and it _had_ to be him. She glanced upwards at the ceiling. Somewhere up there, Kami-sama must be laughing at her.

"No worries, Capt…Erza," Mystogan replied in a low voice.

Her head jerked upwards with his response and the female was taken aback. Those liquid warm onyx eyes were no longer warm and kind but were surprisingly dull and lifeless. What was more awkward was the way he had nearly addressed her. Mystogan had _never_ called her by her rank or her last name. It had always been the king who had addressed her so formally. She let out a silent breath of frustration. Seriously, she was going crazy, confusing Mystogan with Jellal.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Mystogan stare at her in silence for a moment before he said in his low baritone voice, "I should go now. The match is about to start."

By the time Erza had snapped out of her stupour, he had already swept past her without even a backward glance. She stared after him stupidly because even she had felt the tension between them, the way it settled over them like a blanket. It was so thick that she could almost reach out and touch it. She had noticed the way his shoulders tensed, the way his back arched back ever so slightly at the sight of her and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to conjure up an explanation as to his newly found nervousness.

Her heart sank as it came to the only conclusion she could think of.

Had Mystogan seen her kissing Jellal?

"Hey Knightwalker," a lazy voice suddenly drawled behind her, "are you just gonna walk past and ignore me?"

Erza whipped around and inclined her head in apology. "Sorry Laxus, I didn't see you there."

The blonde faltered slightly, the teasing grin still plastered on his face. Erza didn't usually apologise to him. Usually she would slap him on the head and tell him to mind his own damn business. If she was so distracted as to ignore her pride and apologise to_ him_, then something was _definitely _wrong. Deciding that he would chance it, he ventured cautiously. "Something wrong?"

He regretted his actions the moment the words left his lips and he spotted the giant vein on her head throbbing dangerously. A minute later, he found himself spewing profanities and nursing his own head as he knelt on the ground.

"Ugh, remind me what he sees in you again," he shot back. That earned him another smack on the back of his head.

Erza smirked and sauntered past him, a hand reaching out to ruffle his unruly hair. "Come on," she called out. "You've got a match to fight now."

She turned the corner, never seeing the smile on his face, half hidden by his golden bangs. Now, that was the Knightwalker he knew.

* * *

He was late.

She tapped her foot impatiently and leaned against the railing, safely hidden from view. She really didn't want to run into the elders or Jellal. The female captain groaned inwardly at the thought of the latter. She hated the effect he had on her. A smile or a nod her way was more than enough to send her heart pounding and her palms would become clammy as soon as she could smell his musky scent. The way her feet would stay rooted to the ground for a second as their eyes interlocked with each other, causing her to stumble ever so slightly. Erza let out a breath that she didn't know that she had been holding and smiled. It was confusing, the way she felt about Jellal. She was tired of hiding behind her feelings but she was too proud to act on them either.

The clouds above her parted slightly, allowing streaks of brilliant sunlight to shine through. She could see two figures in the far distance and Erza raised a hand to shield her eyes from the strong glare. Squinting so as to see better, she recognized those two to be Laxus and Mystogan. They were finally here.

As the two males drew closer to her hiding place, she could see that they were arguing. Mystogan looked distraught whereas Laxus was waving his hands in an agitated manner. Their voices grew louder in volume as they approached and Laxus looked around the area, eyes lighting up as he spotted her.

"Knightwalker!"

Erza groaned as Mystogan glanced at her quickly, visibly upset with whatever Laxus had planned.

The blonde turned to his attention to her, unusually solemn. "Knightwalker, the troops are mutinying back in the palace. With the three of us gone, Hughes and Sugarboy are having a hard time controlling our three squads. Apparently some.." he glanced at Mystogan but the other man was avoiding his gaze deliberately, "rumours have been going around for quite a while and things have been heating up back home. I'm going to have to investigate more thoroughly later."

"I really should go back," Mystogan murmured. "This could turn out to be quite serious."

Laxus sighed. "Come on, you've got a fight with me! We can handle this after we're done. It'll be all over soon anyway!"

"But this is important…"

"I can handle it," interjected Erza but both males ignored her.

Laxus crossed his arms, "More important than this fight?"

Mystogan hesitated. "I…" He glanced at the female but averted his eyes as she caught his brief gaze.

"It's fine," the female captain said. "I'll go back now."

Before Mystogan could protest, Laxus had his head in a strong headlock and was choking him, grinning before replying with a thumbs up. "No no no no. Don't you wanna see us duke it out?" He turned watery eyes on the female and pouted. Erza faltered and Laxus let out a laugh, "See! Nothing to worry about!"

Erza stifled a chuckle at Mystogan's futile attempts at disentangling himself from his friend's bear like grip. Nodding curtly, she turned and slipped back in amongst the crowd as the 1st division captain waved her away.

Laxus made sure that she was way out of ear shot before releasing Mystogan, whose face was already turning purple at this point. Gasping for breath, Mystogan rubbed his neck and glared at the man.

"What are you doing?"

Laxus wagged a finger at him. "You just concentrate on me, yeah? Once we finish, we'll go back and kick those morons' asses and then you can get busy with Knightwalker." He elbowed Mystogan suggestively.

He had been expecting the king to punch him or to slap him at the very least but Mystogan had frozen in his spot. He waved a hand in front of the man's eyes.

"Hello? Hey!" Laxus snapped his fingers, "Edolas to Jellal, do you copy? Over."

Mystogan jolted backwards, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Laxus' eyes sparkled with amusement and utter glee was evident in his voice. "No way! You're actually _nervous_ about this fight? You're fine with going to war with Devlin but you can't handle _this_?"

This time, Mystogan did punch him. Right in the face. He was really tempted to crack some nuts but then it occurred to him that it wouldn't look good if the adjudicator was 'attacked' just before his match.

How annoying.

* * *

Neither of them could hear the roar of the crowd. Adrenaline was coursing through him and Mystogan shuddered. He could feel her piercing gaze burning into his back and it was distracting him. Trying to clear his mind, Mystogan focused on his opponent, who had just…disappeared…

Instinctively, he crouched down, dodging the swipe aimed for his head. Twisting around, the masked figure slammed a palm into Laxus' chest, blowing him away with a powerful air strike. Laxus landed on his feet, slightly winded, but he sped forwards once more. He thrust his fist forwards, narrowly missing Mystogan's head, before bringing up his left fist and driving it into Mystogan's stomach.

Mystogan let out a cry as the electricity jolted through his system. Concentrating his magic, he released it around his body explosively, causing Laxus to skid across the arena. Extracting one of his staff, he twirled it expertly and stabbed it into the ground, watching as beams of blue magic exploded upwards from the ground. The blonde maneuvered through the obstacles, weaving between the pillars of magic with amazing speed and threw some missiles at Mystogan. Mystogan leapt into the air, but one of the projectiles, which were actually concentrated electrical energy shaped as bullets, grazed him and he responded by sending one back towards Laxus.

The two leapt apart, pausing slightly to catch their breath. Mystogan found himself scanning the crowds and was met with a fist to the face.

"Don't let your guard down, Jellal," Laxus warned. "You know I won't take it easy on you. In fact, I might just try to fight you with everything I've got."

Mystogan spat out a glob of blood. Laxus was right. He couldn't get distracted, not when so much was at stake. But still, past events haunted him. After all that they had been through, had it meant nothing to her?

"_I don't like you that way. Actually, I don't like you at all…"_

The war against Devlin, rescuing her, nearly dying in the war, the things they had said during those times, that kiss, had it really meant nothing at all?

He could feel himself growing angry and at the same time, despair and anxiety gnawed away at his breaking heart. What had he been doing all this time? What was he doing _now_? Why was he fighting for her _now_?

He could see Laxus coming at him from the side out of the corner of his eye. The blonde raised his sword, electricity crackling around it, and slashed at him. Mystogan sidestepped the attack and activated his counterattack.

"Five Layered Magic Circle, Sacred Song."

A brilliant burst of magical energy shot from the hidden rune placed on the ground just as Laxus stepped on the spot…or at least that was what was supposed to happen. Instead, Mystogan's magic failed horribly. Eyes widening, Mystogan cast his air magic so that the attack would pass through his body but nothing happened and Laxus slashed downwards.

The crowd roared at the latest revelation. Had he lost already?

Mystogan fell onto his knees, his left arm having been paralyzed by the electrical magical energy. Laxus readied his sword but his opponent flicked it out of his grasp with his staff. Mystogan had by now abandoned his staff and drawn his own sword, looking grim.

It couldn't have happened at a worse time but it had. He could no longer use his magic again. This was exactly like the last time when he was training. He didn't know what was wrong but at this moment, winning was all that mattered. He could work out all the annoying little details later, and that included the problem with Knightwalker.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you using your magic?" Laxus demanded, displeased at the turn of events.

Mystogan didn't answer. He didn't know how to answer. Instead, he extracted a small dagger from his boot and threw it underhand at Laxus. Caught off guard, the small weapon lodged itself into Laxus' shoulder. With a sickening squelch, Laxus pulled out the blade, ignoring the blood pouring from the wound. Mystogan sped forwards and metal clashed against metal as Laxus brought up his sword to defend himself. Parrying, Laxus sent his magic down the piece of metal but Mystogan hurled himself to the side and threw his sword, knocking the blonde's own sword away.

"How about a good old brawl?" Mystogan snarled and launched himself at his opponent.

The two wrestled for a bit, engaging in a full out fist fight. They traded blows for a while before Mystogan went for his sword and Laxus powered up his magic for another attack.

This was so irritating. Everything was so confusing. On top of that, he was getting his ass handed to him by his best friend in front of a crowd of at least 2000. As the two clashed against each other again, Mystogan could feel anger seeping through him. He was generally a fairly patient man with a good natured disposition, but there were times when he got angry and usually, it would be quite explosive in nature. And right now, he was very angry.

Every soldier or mage were required to learn a few basic rules during their training. One of them was to keep their emotions under control and not to lose one's head. It wouldn't do if the soldier ended up swinging his sword around madly in the midst of a battle and losing his head literally. However, years of experience had taught Mystogan that if he managed to channel his anger into brute strength, then his destructive power was multiplied.

With a loud grunt, Mystogan moved forwards. Just as Laxus released a beam of electrical magic at him, the blue haired captain slid across the ground and kicked him, sending his opponent crashing onto the ground. Laxus scrambled to his feet but was forced to block Mystogan's relentless blows. They were moving so fast that they looked like a blur to those with an untrained eye.

Erza could see that Mystogan's punches were much stronger than before. Whenever Laxus tried to channel magic around his body to shock Mystogan, the other would simply aim a kick at the blonde instead. The two locked hands briefly and Mystogan let out a roar as lightning blue suddenly burst from his palms as anger consumed him. The air rippled and he was sure it was cracking with the sheer weight and intensity of his magic. Struggling under its pressure, Mystogan pushed with all his might. His blue magic collided with Laxus' electrical magic, sending shockwaves surging through the area. Both of them were straining to control their magic and Mystogan let out one last burst of magic, overwhelming Laxus completely. The brilliant blue light filled the skies and as it dissipated slowly, he could see Laxus still standing, his arms crossed to block the attack. The blonde was tired and he grinned at his friend, inviting eyes asking for Mystogan to end this in an impressive way.

Mystogan nodded ever so slightly and took a low stance. Dragging his foot across the sandy ground quickly and bringing it up, the spark created by the friction fizzled slightly and he sent a short burst of magic, amplifying the fire and a large fire ball hurtled towards Laxus.

It was over.

* * *

After much persuasion from Laxus, Mystogan had reluctantly agreed to stay behind just for one more day in case the elders needed anything from him. That was the 'official' excuse but both of them knew that it was time for Mystogan to tell the truth. Now, he was making his way towards Erza's room. Strangely enough, he felt numb. There was no joy or elation at having won his fight. He just didn't know what to think.

His footsteps echoed in the lonely hallway. Mystogan could feel himself shaking with anticipation and his heart was thumping so hard against his chest that he could see his chest pounding with each heart beat.

_I skip a heart beat…_he thought to himself. Such a cheesy thing to think, he must be getting old.

Pausing at her door, Mystogan took a deep breath. It was scary. It was nerve wrecking. It was _giving him a heart attack_. And to his utmost horror, the door opened and he found himself standing an inch away from Erza. Well, wasn't this just brilliant?

Her eyes flickered under his stern gaze and her lips formed silent words.

"We have to talk," he said, tremors evident in his voice.

Erza nodded. She looked nervous but happy. Mystogan pushed her back into the room gently and shut the door.

They stood there, both lost for words. Finally, it was she who broke the awkward silence.

"So what do you wanna talk about?"

"I…" his throat went dry and he wet his lips quickly. "I need you to know who I really am before the elders make any decision," Mystogan murmured.

Erza looked at him weirdly and laughed. "What?"

He was well aware that he sounded like a total idiot but he didn't really know what to say. "But promise me you'll keep it a secret," Mystogan said more urgently, taking her hand in his. "Don't tell anyone. I want you to make your own decision."

She took a step backwards. Mystogan was acting very odd. "I will. Don't worry."

A shaking hand reached up to his mask. Stopping for a second, his fingers twitched as he tried to make up his mind.

"You don't have to do this now if you don't want to."

Her soft voice jolted him from his thoughts. "No, no. I need to tell you now."

He closed his eyes and pulled down his mask. He could hear her gasp but he proceeded to pull off his bandana as well, revealing shocking blue hair. Slowly, he opened his eyes. She had stumbled backwards and was shaking her head. Disbelief was written all over her face. Jellal took a step forward but he stopped as she moved backwards.

"You're…you're lying," she whispered. "Why are you pretending to be Mystogan? Where is he? Did he go back to the palace with Laxus?"

"I'm not lying," Jellal pleaded with her.

"No! This isn't true!"

Jellal was at a total loss. What was he to do? His heart sank at the only solution he could think of but he deliberately ignored it. Placing the two pieces of cloth in the pockets of his trousers, Jellal's fingers curled around his waistband for a second before he pulled up his black undershirt, exposing his muscular chest.

Erza's eyes widened. There was no mistaking it. The ugly scar that he received as a result of saving her during the Devlin war was still clear as day in contrast with his smooth skin. It was a bitter reminder for both of them.

Jellal pulled down his shirt and waited for her reaction. He had half expected her to explode or start screaming but she was silent, her slender frame shaking. Was she crying? He made to step forwards but Erza suddenly looked up, eyes burning with anger.

"So _you're_ actually Mystogan? Why did you lie to me all this time?" She yelled, hands clenching into fists. "Was it because it was fun to mess around with my feelings? Were you trying to make a fool out of me?"

Jellal frowned at her accusations. "What? Of course not! I just needed another identity to get…"

The female interrupted him. "Was it just a game? You arrogant bastard! You made me…you made me fall…" Erza turned away angrily, so that her back was facing him, and hissed under her breath, "I hate you."

Jellal bit his lip in frustration in a desperate attempt not to lose his cool. "I wasn't toying with you! Why can't you understand that? I lov…"

She whipped around and pushed him hard. "Don't you dare say it! Don't you dare say those words!"

Tears were already pooling at the corner of her eyes but she brushed them away angrily. Jellal was shaking too, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions.

He tried again. "You know it's true."

"I've been such an idiot. I made myself believe that it would work," Erza mumbled and laughed a hollow laugh. "You lied to me. Why didn't you tell me?"

The last question was whispered, almost as if she was asking herself the question. It was heartbreaking and Jellal found himself choking out his answer.

"It was meant to be a secret. The less people who knew about it, the less likely the advisors and enemies would find out."

Erza strode towards him, furious at this betrayal. "You trusted Laxus enough to tell him but you couldn't tell me."

"How could I?" His voice cracked and he swallowed before continuing. "You…you hated me. There was absolutely no chance that I could tell you and you wouldn't have accepted me anyway! I didn't want to get my heart broken before anything happened between us!"

"_Nothing_ happened between us!" She cried, tears finally streaming down her cheeks.

Jellal grit his teeth. "And do you really believe that?" He half shouted. "Erza, I lov…"

She slapped him across the face with all her might and the man stumbled backwards before losing his footing and falling to the ground. A hand went up to his throbbing cheek.

"I was just another fool who fell for your act, wasn't I? I was another pawn under your command!" She screamed at him. Her shoulders heaved as she gasped for breath through her sobs. Jellal stared up at her wordlessly. Her reasoning was understandable. She was just one of the numerous people who had no idea that he and Mystogan were one and the same. And he could not deny the truth. He had lied to her. He had deceived her for his own gain. He had refused to tell her the truth even though Laxus had urged him to do so all that time. She had every right to be angry at him.

"I…"

But for the first time in her life, Erza ran from her problems. She ran past him, cheeks glistening with tears and slammed through the doors, leaving him on the ground. Instinctively, Jellal sprang to his feet, ignoring the alarm bells ringing frantically in his head, and chased after her. He wasn't going to let another chance slip away again. He has messed up too badly for too many times already. She had turned the corner already when he burst through the doors but he pursued her relentlessly. He skidded around the bend, catching sight of her beautiful crimson hair, and he chased her. Jellal tried to catch up to her, to explain to her, but the distance between them was slowly increasing. Was he moving slower? He cried out to her but she refused to stop. Jellal raised a hand, fingers brushing her shoulder briefly.

Just a little more. Just a little more and he could catch her.

It was then the world around him exploded and when Erza turned around at the commotion, Jellal was already gone in a whirlwind.

* * *

**This is a very long chapter for my standards. Now, here's an equally long rant from me XD You know I'm having a problem writing when my author's note as so long but much easier for me to write.**

**Well first thing is that I'm sorry for taking exactly 3 months to update. My longest hiatus was 3 weeks so I guess this time it's been a pain waiting. Hopefully not too many people have ditched this story and pairing. Now, the reason as to why I haven't been updating is because I haven't really been able to write. I lost my motivation and inspiration. On lucky days, I could manage 30-60 words a day. On unlucky days, I would simply open the word document and stare at it before closing it. My love for Jerza/MystoganKnightwalker faded slightly during that time too, especially with the lack of fanfictions to read. It was so bad not even Jellal reappearing in the manga or Waca updating could get me going. I also hit a rough patch sometime in early July. I call that my annual 'moments of insanity'. I'm someone who lacks self confidence. Majorly. So every year, there comes a time when I go ICAN' kinda thing (I thank my friend for staying with me through that) Now that it's over and having regained my writing mode back from AIF, I'll try my hardest to update more. But no promises, 2****nd**** year of university starts in September and I'm dreading it.**

**Here's the unofficial excuses if anyone's interested. If not just skip this entire list XD**

**Summer job from 9am - 6pm for the whole of June**

**1) Gaming**

**2) Editing**

**3) Playing guitar**

**4) Playing piano**

**5) Staring at my 6 half finished chapters without actually writing much**

**6) Just chilling**

**For those who don't understand how Mystogan was able to use magic even though at first he couldn't, the idea is that he can't use magic if his emotions are fluctuating too much. So if he's consumed by one sole emotion, it will work for him. And if you didn't get the ending, that would be the anima since his emotions are going crazy. Now, you all know where he'll be next chapter yeah? Kudos to those who reviewed and guessed part of the plot. Thanks for the suggestions for the argument as well, I have taken all of them into account of course XD**

**I've debated for quite a while whether to add this bit into the author's note and it's kinda embarrassing for me to do so XD I don't like asking people to review. I occasionally ask my readers to give me some ideas because I do hit a wall sometimes. However, I usually refrain from asking readers to review outright because it's not just about the reviews for me. It's about spreading the love, giving me an outlet to express myself and to improve my writing skills hopefully. But I've been reviewing my stats for my stories and it's a bit discouraging to see that only 1/8****th**** of those who have story alerted Retribution review (reviews per chapter), it might be less than 1/8****th**** since quite a lot of reviews are from visitors XD I apologize if I sound like a desperate whining idiot. I don't want to force or make it sound like my readers owe it to me to review, that's not my intention. Now I feel kinda bad writing this, bleh D8**

**On a happier note, latest FT chapter! –spoiler- Badass Hades vs Badass Laxus! Damn, Laxus looked so cool (:**


	17. Regret

**Regret**

Jellal fell through the air and tumbled onto the ground unceremoniously. The sudden abundance of magic overwhelmed him and he threw up, spilling the contents of his stomach. He stayed hunched over for a while before he stumbled to his feet with a grunt, a hand reaching out to steady himself.

A brilliant mixture of green, red and yellow greeted him and he turned around 360 degrees, feet crunching on the crisp leaves, as he surveyed the beautiful landscape. He was in Porlyusica's woods. It was just as he remembered it from all those years ago. The trees surrounding her cottage, the baskets of apples placed outside in the clearing, nothing had changed. It was nostalgic.

There was no smoke puffing merrily out of Porlyusica's little cottage and he knew that she wasn't home. It was a shame really, he was quite fond of the short tempered old lady. Smiling, Jellal reached for an apple and breathed in deeply, inhaling the sweet smelling air. He never thought that he would be able to return to Earthland. He had entertained the idea numerous times throughout his reign in Edolas but it had remained a dream until now.

Edolas needed him now and he needed to get back, but then _he_ needed Earthland now. He needed to get away from everything just for a bit. He needed Fairy Tail. And for now, he was just Mystogan, another Fairy Tail mage.

* * *

Mystogan wandered along the familiar path back to the Fiore town centre. It was bustling with people and the streets were lined with multi-coloured stalls, some selling magical keys, some books, others food and drinks. He ambled down the street in a daze. It was almost like a dream. It had been so long since he had been here and an overwhelming amount of emotions assaulted his senses.

Someone shouted his name and Mystogan looked up.

"Lavin…"

The shopkeeper waved at him. "Yeah! It's been a while, Mystogan. Been on a mission?"

Mystogan chuckled. "Guess you could say that. Any news I should be wary of?"

"Yeah! The council's still pretty pissed off with Fairy Tail, yeah," Lavin commented. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Ah yeah, there's this one guy, what's his name? Gerard? Jeral?"

"Jellal?"

"Yeah! There we go!" Lavin snapped his fingers. "Blue hair, tattoo on face, kinda tall. Yeah! He and Salamander went for a round and ended up destroying half of town."

Mystogan blinked once. "Jellal joined Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah! Something like that. Council released him from prison like a year ago. Yeah!"

"Oh wow," Mystogan murmured. That was certainly unexpected. He had expected the council to either imprison or execute his counterpart for attempting to revive Zeref but he had a nagging suspicion that Fairy Tail had played a part in that decision. How they did it, he had no idea but he was happy for Erza. Mystogan knew of her relationship between the Earthland Jellal and there was no doubt that they were together by now. Raising a hand, he waved at Lavin and set off for the guild.

Since Earthland and Edolas were complete opposites of one another, did that mean he didn't stand a chance with Knightwalker? Because, he thought to himself grimly, things just seemed to be going quite badly for him.

* * *

The guild was rowdy as always, the faint scent of alcohol lingering in the air, the atmosphere warm and cozy. It was just as he remembered it. Mira was behind the bar, busy serving different guild members as Cana drowned her sorrows in the corner with Macao and Wakaba. Levy was discussing ancient runes with Freed, while Gajeel glared daggers at the other man. Mystogan raised his eyebrows, surveying his fellow guild members in a secluded corner on the second floor. Well, this was an interesting development. He glanced around but could not see Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Gray or Jellal. More importantly, he couldn't see Makarov. He had really hoped to be able to speak to the master. He needed some advice and there was no one better than the man who was more of a father to him than Faust. His eyes closed wearily. What was he to do now?

"You came back."

It came out like a whisper, disbelief evident in his tone.

Mystogan smiled. "Yeah, I did." He turned around but saw no one. "Lily?"

Something tugged at his pants and he looked down to see a small black cat with a scar on his eye. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages before Mystogan spoke again. "I…didn't know Lily had a son."

The Exceed guffawed. "My Prince, it's me."

"Lily? What happened to you? You're so small." Mystogan exclaimed. His eyes widened as the small cat grew steadily in size until he was taller than the man. "Or…not."

Pantherlily crushed him in a bear hug. "It's been too long. I missed you."

"Me too." Mystogan whispered back. The two pulled away from one another. "How have you been?"

"Hold on, let me get some drinks."

Pantherlily leapt over the banister and glided down gracefully in front of Mira, wings spread wide apart. After a few minutes of bantering, he returned with two big mugs of beer. Handing one to his companion, Pantherlily sat down.

"I never thought that I would see you again. What brings you back to Earthland, my Prince? How did you even get back here?"

Mystogan took a large gulp of his drink. Swallowing, he leaned back in his chair. "I accidentally activated the anima and got sucked back here."

Pantherlily's eyebrows furrowed. "You accidentally activated the anima? That only happens when you lose control of…"

He sighed and told Pantherlily about all of the past events, the Devlin war, his magic and last of all, he told him about Knightwalker. He told him every little detail in the hopes that his friend would understand, or maybe he just needed to say it out loud so that he could understand what was going on himself.

"I love her. I don't know why but I do." Pantherlily grinned at this statement but said nothing and Mystogan continued. "Sometimes, I wish I didn't love her because it's so confusing. But at the same time, that thought pains me because I know I do. It makes me want to fall in love, and it makes me never want to be in love ever again. It makes me want to be happy, and it makes me want to be sad. It makes me want to accept everything, and it makes me want to throw it all away." Mystogan leaned forwards and whispered anxiously, "It's driving me insane."

Pantherlily chuckled. "My Prince. I probably know Knightwalker better than anyone, and from what I hear, she likes you. She clashes with you over your methods but in the end, the both of you are trying to do what's best for Edolas and that's what's important. Knightwalker doesn't like to show weakness. And she sees _you_ as her weakness. Believe me, she's on your side."

Mystogan looked away, avoiding eye contact with Pantherlily. "That…doesn't make sense, Lily."

Pantherlily smiled fondly. "If you say so."

Mystogan nodded, his grip tightening around the mug. He raised it to his lips and was about to take another sip until a small bundle rammed into his waist, smashing him to the ground. He fell to the ground painfully but his eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the person.

"Wendy!"

"Mystogan!" Wendy's eyes were filling steadily with tears and Mystogan cringed slightly. He didn't know how to deal with crying children, so he settled with patting her on the back.

"Um…hi Wendy." He stuttered.

Wendy beamed at him, choking back a sob. "You're back! I don't believe it." She hugged him tightly, ignoring the fact that the two of them were still laying on the ground. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Yeah it is," Mystogan laughed nervously. "Um…do you mind if I get up now?"

"Woops!" She rolled off him and he scrambled to his feet, face flushed. "Did you come back to visit us?"

"Yeah," he laughed nervously. "Of course."

Wendy stared at him fondly before turning towards Pantherlily. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Mystogan exchanged shrewd glances with his friend, warning him to stay silent on the matter and Pantherlily smirked. It would be amusing to see Mystogan try to explain his romantic ideals to the child. He was almost tempted to tell Wendy but then it wouldn't do to anger the young prince now, would it?

The Exceed grinned. "Come now Wendy, why don't you tell Mystogan about your mission from yesterday?"

Wendy nodded eagerly and started recounting yesterday's events and Mystogan smiled at the two of them affectionately. He lost track of time as the three of them chatted away happily. He missed these good times when he could just forget his worries and spend the time relaxing, surrounded by friends and people who cared about him. He was tempted to stay behind in Earthland. He could do so by resuming his identity as Mystogan. Edolas had settled down now even without magic and he was sure there were more than capable people who could take his place. But could he do it? Could he just abandon Edolas and return to Fairy Tail?

A table smashed into the back of his head and he found himself face flat against the wall. Mystogan slid down the wall slowly and a dark figure loomed over him.

"Dude. That's my cat," Gajeel snarled, jabbing a thumb into his chest. "You can't have him!"

"Have him? I'm just talking to him," Mystogan protested.

The dragonslayer huffed childishly. "It's a ploy to get my cat! It's a conspiracy! I won't let you take my cat!"

Mystogan gaped at him while Pantherlily just grinned smugly. Was this guy serious?

A thick book flew through the air and hit Gajeel squarely in the face and he fell backwards.

"Honestly Gajeel, give it a rest. No one's trying to steal Lily. Quit being so paranoid, ok?" Levy chided gently.

Gajeel looked at her pitifully and said something unintelligible and Levy rolled her eyes.

Pantherlily smirked at Mystogan, who was looking utterly bewildered. "I'll drink to that."

A loud bang sounded from below and soon, a body followed as Gray smashed through the doors and into the guild, breaking a few tables in the process. Soon, Natsu charged into the fray, flames shooting out of his mouth.

"Kora! Are they fighting without me?" Gajeel roared and leapt off the second floor.

Levy shook her head in despair. She would never understand why men had to keep fighting.

Mystogan turned back to Pantherlily but the cat had shrunken back to his chibi form. "Looks like Natsu and the gang are back," Pantherlily said as he took another sip.

"It's time I returned to Edolas," Mystogan said sadly and Pantherlily nodded in understanding.

He had no desire to bump into Erza or his counterpart. It would raise too many questions, both for him and Erza. He did not need another excuse to stay in Earthland, nor did he need any more questions leading him to doubt Knightwalker. Besides, he needed to return to Edolas to sort things out.

"Wait," Wendy called out. "Will you come back and visit us soon?"

He smiled gently and knelt down so that they were level. He looked straight into her watering eyes, a hand placed on her head, and said softly, "Of course, I will come home soon, don't you worry about it."

Mystogan stood up and looked around him once more.

Yes, this was home too.

With that simple thought in mind, he vanished in a small whirlwind.

* * *

Jellal fell onto the ground once more, the breath knocked out of him. The whirlwind dissipated but the wind continued to whip around him. He did not move from his position but simply stared up at the grey skies, allowing the cool rain to pelt down on him, soaking him to the bone. The ground was soft and the muddy water hugged his body closely. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.

He felt like he was lying on still waters. It was calm, it was surreal, but he was just _there_, floating, drifting. He experienced peace if just for a little bit. But then the torrid storm came and the turbulent waters swept over him, the waves crashing over his head again and again. He wanted to escape from the cruel ocean but there was always something pulling him down like a sinking anchor. Jellal could see her standing just on the shore, so close yet so far away. He called out to her but all she did was extend a hand wordlessly. He sank under again and he clawed at the surface but the currents were too strong and suddenly, all of his strength seemed to be sapped away from him and he gave in. Once more, he experienced peace but this soon gave way to a sense of asphyxiation. He was no longer sure if Erza was on the shore anymore. In fact, he felt more and more certain that she was the one pulling him down into the abyss.

He sat up, snapping out of his dreamlike trance. This time, he was just outside of the Knightwalker complex. It was only then that he realized that he had not been able to sense his though projection ever since he went to Earthland. That meant that his absence in Edolas had severed the connection and that would mean that he would be missing from the palace. Shit.

Jellal scrambled to his feet and made his way towards the stables. He chose a stallion and sped off into the forest, hurrying back towards the palace. He wasn't going to stick around to meet Knightwalker's elders. Because for some strange reason, marriage was the last thing on his mind.

Branches lashed out at his face and the rain pounded down ever more heavily than before. The clouds moved closer and the skies turned darker. It was so hard to see the path he was taking but it didn't matter.

He never looked back.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Personally I hate this chapter. It's weird and badly written but I don't know how to correct it. Bleh. Anyway, just a note, that quote about being happy/sad, accept/throw it away quote was from a comment I found on youtube somewhere (:**

**Anyway, the reason why I've been updating like crazy today (or will be) is because it's my friend's birthday! She loves Jerza so I thought why not give her loads of Jerza fics to read? I wrote this chapter all over the world. Let's see, Paris, London, Manchester, Rome and Hong Kong! I was on vacation and basically spent the whole of August trying to finish all of them in time for her birthday. Yeah Pika, I was lying about being on hiatus :P **

**I take 3-4 weeks per chapter usually so this is pretty impressive for me to finish 8 times the usual amount of fics (: **

**So you guys, wish her a happy birthday in the reviews or in fanfiction . net / ~excapizem :P**

**This is 1/8 of today's update.**


	18. Reject

**Reject**

"Explain yourselves."

Her cold words rang across the training grounds clearly and the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees as they sent shivers down the soldiers' spines. Erza glared at her men coolly, silently challenging them to give her a satisfactory answer. None of them dared to move under her threatening gaze and Erza repeated her command once more, her tone even deadlier than before.

"I said, explain yourselves."

Her lieutenant swallowed loudly and stepped forwards uneasily, the fear showing in his eyes. Erza turned her gaze towards him and his face paled a few shades.

"Rumours have been going around, Captain," David started slowly. He made the mistake of looking up at her again and he withered visibly under her ferocious gaze. "They…they say that the king was the one behind Devlin's attack and that…he's going to strike up another deal with them again." A chorus of murmurs erupted from the troops but another quick glare in their direction shut them up quickly. "Riots are breaking out in the cities and…morale is at an all time low."

Erza inhaled deeply. "And you think that what they say is true?"

"I…I'm not sure Captain," David answered hesitantly, unwilling to provoke his captain any further.

The female shook her head in exasperation. Her soldiers were capable fighters, but they could be quite dense on the other hand. "The king may seem quite weak but he is loyal to Edolas. I was involved with his plans for defending against Devlin and I can assure you that he would never sell us out."

David stared at her for a second before a wide smile broke out on his face. A loud cheer erupted from the troops behind him and Erza nodded curtly. She glanced to her right briefly as something caught her eye and she waved at her lieutenant.

"Take the training session for the moment," She ordered. "I'll be back soon."

Ignoring his salute, she turned on her heels and approached the man waiting by the tree. She hadn't even managed three steps towards him before Laxus strode forwards impatiently and she raised an eyebrow. The blonde was never this agitated without good reason.

"My squad and I are moving out. Hughes was supposed to be quelling those riots and dealing with all that chaos out there but we've just received word that he's gone missing and the whole thing's just a total mess." His eyes flickered around unfocusedly, his mind clearly wandering. "What on earth is going on…"

Erza placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you can handle it."

He let out a loud breath and ran a hand through his hair roughly. "There's something else." He crossed his arms and Erza stiffened unconsciously at the defensive act. "The elders, they're thinking of…Simon."

"What do you mean they're thinking about Simon?"

Laxus glanced at his troops waiting at the gate and turned back to the female. "I'll make this quick. They've chosen Simon, damn it. They've chosen him as your fiancée. They think he's a good fighter and he comes from a good background. They weren't pleased with Mystogan's fighting display during the tournament and they don't know anything about his background. All they know is that he's a Captain of the Royal Edolas Army. And…" He trailed off uncertainly and Erza growled slightly. Laxus took it as a sign to continue. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you two but," he swallowed and wet his lips nervously, "he's withdrawn his candidacy."

Erza stood there unmoving. There was no sadness but there was no relief either. It was almost as if Laxus had just told her the forecast for tomorrow's weather. "That's fine."

"That's fine?" Laxus groaned and wrung his hands in despair. "Ok right, we can talk about this later, I really need to go. Oh and Jellal's just called an emergency meeting with the current situation and all that, you know." Grumbling under his breath, the captain sprinted off in the direction of the gates.

Erza shook her head.

This was getting so complicated.

* * *

To say that he was irritated would be a huge understatement. At that moment, all Jellal wanted to do was blast all of his advisors, along with half of his kingdom, into oblivion.

"Captain Hughes is currently MIA."

"I've already dispatched Captain Dreyar to where Hughes' squad is," the blue haired man replied.

The advisor coughed nervously. "Riots are still erupting all along the eastern border where Squad 3 is."

Jellal forced himself to inhale deeply and he kneaded his forehead in a futile attempt to soothe his aching nerves. "Well done Lahar. Now, would you like to tell me something I _don't_ know?"

The advisor sputtered ever so slightly, his face reddening, and sat back down. The king straightened up and opened his mouth to speak but suddenly, the door to the meeting room was flung open unceremoniously as Coco burst into the room. Pausing ever so slightly to regain her breath, she spoke up urgently.

"Your Highness," she said between gasps of breath, "Captain Sugarboy was just attacked!"

An uproar sounded as the advisors started to panic. The country was slowly spiraling into chaos and another captain had fallen victim. This was too much for the narrow minded old geezers to take and they all started to shout out random ideas immediately. Jellal ignored them and gestured for his attendant to come closer and she continued to report her findings next to him. "One of the soldiers found him beaten and unconscious near the stables. He's still unconscious but the doctors say that his condition is stable and that he will wake up soon."

Jellal nodded in thanks and dismissed her silently. He could feel Erza's gaze burning into the side of his head but he ignored it deliberately. He needed to focus. He needed to stay calm. He leaned on his elbows and deliberated the problem seriously, blocking out the noise around him.

The redhead did not move from her seat but her eyes followed Mystogan as he slipped out of the room in the midst of all the commotion. If Jellal's thought projection was leaving at such a crucial time, then there must be something going on. Still, she did not ask any questions or offer any insight into the current situation. She trusted Jellal enough to be able to do something about this mess.

"Enough!" Jellal suddenly boomed, slamming a hand on the heavy oak table, and everyone fell silent. He leaned forwards, his face betraying none of the emotions racing through his heart, and ordered, "Guran Doma, enlist all the guilds to help with the rebellions and the clean up work. I want Fairy Tail to act as temporary leader of all of the guilds."

The councilor bowed once and left swiftly. Jellal turned to the rest of his advisors. "Dismissed," he said curtly. The advisors protested fervently, trying to put forward more solutions in order to win over the king but Jellal waved them away impatiently and they took their leave immediately, not wanting to anger their young king.

Erza stayed where she was, refusing to leave. She needed to know what Jellal's plans were. She could tell that his current plans were just a part of what he had planned. What she couldn't understand was why he was keeping it all a secret, even from her. Still, she did not speak but instead chose to sit at the corner of the room and wait till he was ready to tell her himself.

Jellal glared at the wooden table, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. This was very bad. Rebellions and rioting were breaking out all over the country. He had already sent out two squads to help deal with the chaos but that wasn't enough. And to top it all off, someone was targeting his captains. First Hughes, now Sugarboy. That left only Laxus, Mystogan and Knightwalker. Laxus was where Hughes was while Knightwalker was in the palace. The attackers wouldn't be able to locate Mystogan whereas the culprit who attacked Sugarboy was most likely still in the palace. That meant that Erza was at a high risk of being the next target.

He swiveled around in his chair and faced Erza. She glared back at him, arms folded haughtily at her chest. His fingers drummed on the table impatiently and he stood up tiredly, making his way over to the window. He gazed out unfocusedly. To be able to defeat two of his captains meant that the culprit was either a good fighter or that he had managed to catch the two of them off guard. It was unlikely that he could have overlooked such a powerful enemy so that only left him with the latter option. Jellal slammed a fist against the glass angrily. The attacker must be someone in the palace, someone they all knew and trusted.

There was a traitor amongst them.

But then, what if Erza was…

"Damn it."

His eyes wandered over to the redhead. Someone powerful and trusted…it couldn't be…could it?

A sharp pain shot through his head, sending him reeling. He inhaled deeply, steadying himself against the window for a moment before looking up in alarm.

"What is it?" Erza's voice cut through the silence like a knife.

"Sugarboy," was the only thing he said as he bolted for the doors.

Jellal flung open the doors to the infirmary with the female captain close on his heels. "Shit!"

Mystogan stood next to Sugarboy's bed, clothes spattered with blood and sword drawn. Erza gasped as she saw Mest lying on the floor, crimson liquid pooling steadily around his still body.

"What have you done?" She whispered in horror.

"No," Jellal stared at Erza. "I…"

Footsteps rang out through the hallway and Bluenote burst into the room. "Is something wrong? I heard…Doranbolt!"

Three pairs of eyes snapped upwards towards Mystogan. He raised his hand. "No, no, he was the one who attacked Sugarboy."

Bluenote sputtered and stared at him in disbelief. "You…him…what?"

"I came to check on Sugarboy and Mest was already here. He was trying to finish off the job. He was the one who attacked Sugarboy!" Mystogan exclaimed.

"That's absurd," the advisor reasoned. "How do you know he was trying to kill Sugarboy?" His eyes widened and he shrank back. "You're the traitor! You're the one who attacked Captain Sugarboy!" He advanced towards Mystogan but then gave a squeak as Mystogan flicked his sword and cowered behind the king and his captain. "Captain Knightwalker, arrest him! Quick!"

Erza's eyes darted back and forth between Jellal and his thought projection and her hand snaked over to the hilt of her sword.

"No! That's not true!" Mystogan snarled.

Bluenote was at this point hopping up and down in agitation and he ran out of the room, screaming for soldiers to come arrest Mystogan.

Erza grabbed Jellal by the shoulder and pulled him close to her. "What's going on?"

Jellal pushed her away. "You have to believe me. I sent Mystogan to check up on Sugarboy because I was worried that the attacker would come back to finish the job. When I got here, Mest was holding a knife and he was trying to kill Sugarboy!"

"So where's the knife?" Erza asked softly and Jellal scanned the floor for the weapon.

"It's…it's gone." He answered in a shaky voice.

Footsteps pounded along the hallway and Jellal closed his eyes. Mystogan's image slowly faded away and the king glanced at Erza urgently. "Trust me. Please."

She inhaled deeply and nodded curtly, praying that what she was doing now was the right thing.

Bluenote rushed into the room with a dozen troops and his eyes widened. "Where'd he go?"

Erza shook her head and pushed him out of the way as she made her way out of the room. "He got away."

Bluenote stared at them incredulously. "Shall I deploy someone to go after Mystogan?"

"No," Jellal said. "Leave it, we've got bigger things to worry about. Coco!" The girl appeared beside him instantly and saluted stiffly. "Could I ask that you stay with Sugarboy? Thank you."

He strode out of the infirmary and hurried after Erza, leaving Bluenote and the small group of soldiers behind.

One of his advisors had been the traitor and had tried to kill one of his captains. How on earth had this happened? How many more traitors were amongst them?

Pushing open the door to his study, he was met with a hostile glare from his female captain, who was lounging in his chair. Jellal stiffened instinctively. What if…what if Erza was a traitor? He trusted Laxus more than life and that the only remaining captain was Erza. She was smart and a powerful fighter. He closed the door loudly, head spinning. But Erza was loyal to Edolas, there was no way she would betray her country. His hands shook slightly. But then again, she was loyal to Edolas and therefore her king. What if she thought that he was leading Edolas down the wrong path, having taken away their eternal source of magic and nearly engaging in a losing war with Devlin? What if she thought that by getting rid of him, she would be helping Edolas? She had always been a loyal supporter of his father after all. His fingers twitched slightly as he realized that he was not armed.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" She asked coldly.

He did not answer. He didn't know what to say.

She stretched her back, cracking the tired joints and slid out of his chair gracefully before walking up to him. A predatory glint sparkled in her eyes as she stood proudly in front of him and Jellal stepped around her quickly. His eyes darted towards her sword and towards the bottle of X-balls on his desk.

He sighed and swiped the bottle with his right hand. Unscrewing the cap, he swallowed one. He debated on whether to giver Erza one but mistrust gnawed at his heart and he decided against it. "Be careful."

She looked at him in disbelief. "That's it? You just killed a man and now you're just standing here?"

"There is nothing I can do," Jellal retorted, the anger bubbling up in his chest.

Pushing back her chair violently, she stood in front of him, glaring at him angrily. "Enough is enough Jellal," she ground out his name through gritted teeth. "This is serious."

He stared down at her, his nose almost touching hers. "I am serious."

Her eyes softened as she gazed into his eyes. They shone warmly and she found herself leaning forwards ever so slightly, her breathing growing more and more shallow. Jellal licked his lips and kissed her gently. She responded to his every touch and he pulled her closer against chest, molding her body against his.

Erza pushed him backwards gently as she came to her senses. Jellal's hands encircled her wrists, his finger brushing against her soft skin fondly.

"No," she breathed. "We shouldn't, not now."

He looked away and let go of her hands. "Yes, you're right."

They stood there unmoving and silent. Jellal raised his hands just as the door to the study opened. Bluenote strode in confidently with his group of soldiers as they spread out in a circle, surrounding the king and his captain.

"Bluenote," Jellal growled. "What is the meaning of this?" He looked around at the soldiers, who were steadily drawing their swords.

The man chuckled and pulled out a chair, propping his legs up on the table. "This, my king, is the beginning of a new era."

Erza started to draw her own weapon but froze as the tip of a sword grazed her throat, her eyes widened as she recognized her captive. "David…"

Bluenote laughed loudly. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way, you know. But then my plans were ruined when Doranbolt got himself killed. In fact, it was going really well till then." He smirked. "What? You should have guessed really. Who proposed the idea of a marriage alliance with Devlin? Who do you think started all those rumours and sparked the riots and rebellions? Who do you think attacked the captains?"

"You bastard!" Jellal snarled. He made to move towards the man but the soldiers closed in around him and David pressed his sword against Erza's throat more urgently. Jellal stiffened as a trickle of blood oozed out of the break in her skin.

"Try anything and I'll take great pleasure in killing her," David grinned.

"Well this is brilliant," Bluenote drawled lazily, shifting in his chair. "Doranbolt and I actually planned to rid of all the captains except for Knightwalker. We were going to have her marry Simon and form the strongest military alliance yet. And with all that, getting rid of you would be easy. But who knew that Knightwalker would be so hard to win over."

"Simon?"

"Oh, we hold a lot of influence with the Knightwalker elders, didn't you know that?" Bluenote said as he stood up slowly.

"Why are you doing this?" Erza asked David.

Her lieutenant replied coolly. "You're a beautiful woman Captain, but I make it a point to stay on the winning team." He leaned forwards, inhaling her scent, his eyes glinting as he surveyed the fury in his king's eyes. Jellal glared back at him, his hands shaking with controlled anger.

Bluenote threw back his head and roared with laughter. "This is it! I will restore Edolas to its former glory! No, no! I will make it stronger than ever!" He turned towards Erza, eyes gleaming with madness. "Captain Knightwalker, you once swore your loyalty to Edolas. This man," he pointed at Jellal and continued, "this man has corrupted our world, stripping it of its magic and bringing it into chaos and engaging in wars! Come join us. Together, we can rebuild this world! We can make it better than ever!"

Erza shot him a dirty look. "You started all of those problems, the war, the rebellions…don't blame all your shit on Jellal."

"Oh, so you're on a first name basis with him now hmm Captain Knightwalker?"

Jellal snarled angrily but all his movements stopped as Erza hissed in pain when David applied more pressure on the blade, smirking.

"Forget about him Captain," Bluenote spat out. "Join me, we can do this together!"

Erza's gaze flickered to Jellal briefly before her lips curled upwards in a taunting smile. "Really now?" She jolted her head backwards, smashing into David's face. Ignoring the searing pain in her throat, she delivered a round kick to her lieutenant's abdomen, sending him crashing into two other soldiers.

At the same time, Jellal released his magic around him explosively and the shockwave blasted the surrounding soldiers around him into the walls. But soon, other soldiers were moving in. Without his sword or staff, Jellal had no choice but to fight hand to hand in the crowded room. Dodging a swipe at his head, he embedded his fist, covered in a thin layer of magic, in his opponent's stomach. Just as another was about to stab him from behind, he brought up his other hand and shot a ball of energy straight into his face.

Jellal dropped to his knees and rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding another attack. A soldier slashed downwards with his sword and Jellal blocked it with his hands. Grimacing in pain, he struggled to push back but the weapon only served to lodge itself deeper in his palms. He ducked down, relinquishing his hold on the sword as another ripped open the skin on his back. Letting out a strangled cry, Jellal channeled his magic around his body and released it once more, flinging bodies across the room. Sweat beaded his forehead and he glanced at Erza, half blinded with pain.

The female captain was too preoccupied with David to help him. Her hands were shaking with the effort of trying to break the deadlock as the two locked swords. With a roar, she managed to push him back with an almighty heave. David stumbled backwards, his arms flailing as he tried to keep his balance but Erza shot forwards, sliding her sword into his chest easily. His eyes widened in disbelief and he slumped to his knees before his heart slowed to a complete stop. She paused for a second to catch her breath before turning to where Jellal was. He was completely surrounded as the soldiers ganged up on him, knowing that they couldn't beat him alone.

Blood stained his hands and she could see the large gash on his back. He was breathing heavily but he disposed of all of them easily in quick succession, his fists flying in a blur. But she saw what he couldn't see behind him. As Bluenote surged towards him, she leapt in blindly without a thought.

Jellal turned around at the sickening sound of blood splattering down onto the carpeted floor and he almost stopped breathing at the sight. Erza stood in front of him, a bloodied hand gripping tightly onto the sword lodged deep in her chest where her heart was. Bluenote stood there stunned. He had never expected her to leap in.

Jellal stared at her dumbly as all feeling left him. His mind went blank and he gazed at her numbly. What had happened? There was so much blood everywhere. He straightened up shakily and he whispered her name disbelievingly. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out. It wasn't true. It _couldn't_ be.

"No…"

She coughed once, crimson liquid dribbling down her chin and gasped as Bluenote withdrew his blade roughly. He shoved her out of his way, sneering at her, and she hit the ground with a loud thump. The noise jolted Jellal out of his self induced stupour and suddenly, all of the raw emotions flooded through him. Anger, despair, pain. That bastard had stabbed Erza. He had stabbed her and brushed her aside just like that. Jellal leapt forwards with a loud cry and his hand closed around Bluenote's face. He would kill him. The advisor didn't even have time to react as Jellal roared and obliterated him, blasting his entire being into nothing but ashes.

Panting heavily, Jellal stood there motionless for a second before he turned to his fallen captain slowly, the tingling sensation flooding through his entire being. Even then he knew that it didn't seem good.

"Erza…"

She did not move but lay there, loud gasps shaking her slender frame. He stumbled over, weak at the knees, and fell down beside her. He brushed at the crimson strands covering her eyes and gently rolled her over, heart pounding desperately. Blood stained his hands and attire but he lifted her into his arms. Jellal's eyes flickered all over her body before landing on the fatal wound on her chest. His body grew numb and he trembled as the realization sunk in.

"Erza," he started, voice thick with emotion. "Erza…"

Her eyes were glazed over and a weak hand groped at his robes blindly. His hand clasped around hers and he found tears welling up in his eyes, his vision slowly blurring with tears. "No, please no." Jellal tore off his gloves, his shaking hands fumbling clumsily with the fabric, but he could not summon his magic.

Erza coughed and more blood seeped from her wound, dripping onto the floor noisily. There was so much blood everywhere. "Jellal," she rasped, a single tear making its way down the side of her face.

Tears ran down his cheeks and the king let out a whimper, his voice breaking. He didn't know what to do. All he could do was cradle her against his chest protectively. But that wasn't enough and he knew it.

"Jellal," Erza whispered once more. She tried to speak but the blood bubbled up in her throat and only a gurgled sound made its way out of her mouth.

Jellal squeezed his eyes shut as the tears streamed down his face and he broke down, choked sobs racking his body. "Please, please…don't do this to me…" He did not see the tender smile on her face or the loving look in her eyes as her consciousness started to fade away.

"I'm sorry…" she murmured.

She didn't say anything more but he understood. Those words conveyed more than that, so much more than what the two of them had managed to do so over those days spent together.

"Please," he begged pitifully, "Erza, stay with me. Stay with me…please…don't do this to me…"

She couldn't be dying. She couldn't be. They had gone through so much shit for so long. This was just another of those times, where something would happen and she would end up fine once more. He refused to believe anything else. He was Mystogan, and she his Knightwalker. It couldn't end this way.

Jellal let out a pained gasp as he felt her go limp in his arms, the sound of her breath leaving her ringing in his ears. Struggling to breathe, he leaned down, his head almost touching her, and a strangled choke burst from his lips. Then he looked up at the sky, face wet with tears as if silently asking why this was happening to him. The broken man stared upwards silently with only his heavy gasps echoing in the empty room. His eyes screwed shut in pain and finally, he let out a loud long cry. There was so much sorrow and despair. The feeling of helplessness hung over him and he rocked back and forth, holding her cold body in his arms as he screamed out. There was so much pain and agony in his inhuman cry that it sounded almost like a wounded animal's as it echoed throughout the castle.

It was all over. But it wasn't the ending anyone wanted.

* * *

**Author's note:**

I named David after David De Gea. Kudos to those who know who he is. Ahh, I really like that guy.

So yes final arc, well mini-arc since this one's so short, what I call the Conspiracy Arc and I estimate around 2 chapters left till the end. Wrote this arc just for this ending XD For those who know me well enough, you'd know I'm a faithful follower of romangst. So, what happens next? Romance? Or angst? I don't know, I haven't planned it out yet...or have I?

I thought that the Clannad OST Town, Flow of Time, People was nice to go with the ending. Random thought there. That anime was amazing btw. I cried yes. Did you cry reading the ending? No? Yeah I didn't think it was that sad either. But then again I'm an angst lover so that might explain why. Who expected the twists here? Hopefully I wasn't too predictable.

Won't get another chapter out till 2012, so for those who believe that it's the end of the world next year, sadly you'll never find out what happens next :)


	19. Restrain

**Restrain**

He stared blankly at the stack of paper work in front of him. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply, trying to soothe the terrible headache pounding away in his head. He looked terrible and he knew it. The dark rings under his eyes indicated the lack of sleep and the fresh stubble of hair marred his face. His hair was disheveled and he had been neglecting his paper work. Well, that was a lie. He had been neglecting all of his duties in fact. Making a strangled noise of some sort, he stood up lethargically and ambled off towards the door. He wasn't going to get any work done anyway.

Jellal rubbed his eyes tiredly. He didn't even know what he was doing everyday anymore. He wasn't training. He wasn't attending to the kingdom's affairs or attending any of the captains' meetings. He grimaced as vague memories of Sugarboy mentioning rioting and enemy troops came back to him but he pushed them away. Frankly, he didn't give a damn about anything at the moment.

His fingers curled around the cold metal of the door handle but he found it wrenched from his grasp as someone on the other side flung the door open. He looked up into icy blue gray eyes.

"Enough," the baritone voice rumbled through the quiet room.

Jellal shrugged it off and made to push past Laxus but found himself being thrown backwards into the room.

The blonde slammed the door shut, arms crossed across his muscular chest, disgust written all over his face. Jellal returned the glare two-fold. "Laxus…" he growled warningly.

"Enough," Laxus snarled once more and hoisted Jellal to his feet. "I know you're grieving but you have to pull yourself together. You think Knightwalker would want to see you like this?"

The king's icy glare sent a shudder down the blonde's spine and he could feel his blood freeze. "And she would see this if it weren't for me."

"It wasn't your fault and she was doing her job!"

Jellal's grip tightened around the corners of his table, his fingernails digging deep into the mahogany wood. "Shut up," he hissed.

"It's been 2 months Jellal, you can't let the world go to hell any longer."

"Shut up…"

Laxus slapped a firm hand on Jellal's shoulder as he tried to turn him around to face him. "Wake up!"

"Shut up!" Jellal roared and swung around, slamming a fist into Laxus' face with his entire weight behind it. He could feel the rage flowing through him and it felt wonderful. He could feel everything from the small vibrations where his fist had come into contact with Laxus' face to the odd tingling sensation in his chest. For the first time in months, he felt alive.

Immediately Laxus sprang to his feet, allowing rage to consume him as well as he pounced on Jellal, punching the ground as the other managed to wriggle out of his grasp. Laxus could see the king's arms trembling as burning eyes fixed on him. To hell with it all, he thought numbly as he dodged another strike from Jellal. With a deft twist, he aimed an elbow at the other's face but Jellal pushed his outstretched arm to the side and slipped forwards effortlessly before sending him flying across the room with a well placed kick to the gut. Not one to take to losing lightly, Laxus stumbled to his feet hastily and slid across the floor, sweeping Jellal's legs from under him and bringing a knee up to connect with the king's chin before he could hit the ground.

The two broke apart. Laxus dragged his hand across his face, smearing the blood everywhere. Jellal stared back steadily, chest rising and falling rhythmically. The stillness of the air felt sickening, almost suffocating, and the tension was so thick that it could almost be cut with a knife. The two just stood there, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Jellal shot forwards once more. The two barreled through the large oak doors of Jellal's office as they resumed their fight, weaving their way through the halls of the palace.

Laxus grimaced as he parried another blow to the head. Even without all the practice, Jellal was not an easy opponent. Jellal had always been more of a long range attacker or a short range defensive fighter and the blonde was finding it hard with such an unfamiliar style of close combat. A slight slip in concentration earned him a heavy fist to the face and a thin film of blood glistened in the air. Laxus stumbled backwards, a hand clutching at his broken nose.

"Fuck man," he mumbled. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the dislocated septum and with a grimace, snapped it back in place. Electricity crackled in the air surrounding him as a yellow aura surrounded him. The large ball of energy in his hand slammed into the place where Jellal used to be and once more, Laxus found himself flying through the air again. The blonde rubbed his head, the rage dissipating as quickly as it came. He was losing horribly. Jellal's reactions were too quick, movements too unpredictable. The king's attacks were fueled by his anger, each strike thrown with more strength and intent. Yet there were times when he allowed it to boil over and he would start swinging around blindly.

Jellal closed his eyes and when he opened them, Laxus could see the raw pain in them and understanding slowly dawned on him.

"No. No, wait Jellal!"

He leapt at Jellal but the other had already released all the pent up energy in his body and the shockwave blinded him. Disoriented, Laxus looked up with bleary eyes but all that was left were a few stray pieces of paper fluttering in the wind.

* * *

He landed flat on his back, knocking the wind out of him. The white clouds passed him by lazily, the soft rays of sunlight dancing in his vision. The soft rustle of leaves in the wind soothed him as he lay there for a while, savouring the quiet atmosphere. The guilt of shirking his duties weighed on his mind but he pushed it aside, allowing the mesmerizing rhythm to wash over him.

A quiet voice startled him. "Mystogan?"

He sat up, little tufts of green grass fluttering to the ground gently around him. His eyes widened at the sight. "Erza…"

The familiar face triggered mixed emotions. He felt relief at seeing someone so dear to him, someone who he had known for so long on Earthland, someone from home. Home. This was home. He smiled a brief smile at the comforting thought but the shock and grief clenched at his heart once more. She hesitated at the look on his face and they stared at each other as the wind whipped up the loose leaves around them.

Conflicting emotions raged within him. She was perfect and that reminded him that he could never have her. _She_ was broken and still he could not have her either. So similar yet so different. But she was standing before him, healthy and alive. He wanted to reach out and touch her just to prove to himself that it was all real, that he had been dreaming all along. He watched in stunned awe as she advanced towards him. She was the perfect carbon copy of Knightwalker. What was different about them? Weren't they just all the same?

Erza plopped down onto the soft grass beside him, folding her arms across her knees. "Hey Mystogan," she said, voice shaking slightly.

The urge welled up in his chest and he leant forwards instinctively, placing a desperate kiss on her lips. His hand cradled the back of her head as his mind went blank and he lost himself in it. She hesitated for the briefest of moments before responding in similar fashion, leaning into him eagerly. He lost his balance, falling backwards and pulling her down with him. He kissed her in an almost feral way, breaking off only just long enough for her to take small gasps of air. His fingers tangled in her silky red locks while her fingers were hard at work pulling off his robes and his undershirt. He responded by sliding his lips down her neck, teeth grazing at the tender skin, eliciting a few breathy moans from her. He shrugged off his shirt but his eyes shot open as he felt her light touch on the buckle of his belt.

No, no, this was wrong. Mystogan shoved Erza off of him, rolling onto his knees and scrambling to his feet. Erza looked just like Knightwalker but she wasn't her. She wasn't Knightwalker and he wasn't Jellal Fernandes. Erza stared at him in shock as he bent down to retrieve his garments. After a moment, he straightened up and stared her straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Erza," he said heavily.

"Yeah," Erza nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I didn't mean to…"

"I know, and I'm sorry too," she managed a smile in his direction.

"I guess I should…"

"I think you should."

Mystogan stuck out his hand. "It was...good...seeing you again, Erza."

She took his offered hand and shook it firmly. She brushed her thumb across his knuckle, seemingly deep in thought. "Mystogan," she murmured. Looking up, her grip tightened slightly. "We may be counterparts…but it doesn't mean that we're all that different."

He let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. "I hope so, more than you'd ever know."

She took a step back and he could see the sadness glistening in her eyes. "Oh believe me. I do know. I do know."

* * *

Erza sighed, gazing at the spot where Mystogan had vanished only moments earlier. A pair of strong arms encircled her waist from behind and she let out a squeak of surprise. A low chuckle rumbled in her ears and she whipped around. "Jellal!"

Jellal nuzzled her neck lovingly. "So there are you, I've been looking for you."

"Yeah," she breathed. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. He noticed her glance behind her once more.

"What?" He looked at her quizzically.

"It's nothing," Erza smiled. Seeing him flash her a giant grin, she slapped him on the arm playfully. "Jellal?"

"Hm?" He scowled in mock pain.

She laughed at the pout on his face. Jellal stuck out his tongue at her and smiled. He loved it when she laughed.

She dragged him beside her as they walked slowly back towards the guild. "Do you ever think of Edolas?"

Jellal shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, not too much. I wasn't there but I guess I do think about Edolas Jellal sometimes." He grinned at her cheekily. "And I do think of Edolas Erza sometimes, I mean, another beautiful Erza. How can I not think of her?"

His grin slowly slid off his face at the expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

Erza was silent for a moment. "It's just that, do you think that they have what we have? Or will have what we have now?"

"Hey," he said gently, his hand pulling her towards him. He tilted her head towards him, his hand on her chin. "They will. Of course they will. You know why?"

She shook her head.

"Because we managed to find each other despite all the horrible things we've experienced, all the sins I have committed. This isn't all a coincidence or down to luck. We were supposed to get to where we are now." He hugged her tightly. "They're _us_. They'll get there someday."

"Yeah, you're right." Erza inhaled deeply, breathing in his musky scent. "Jellal?"

"Mhm?"

"Please," she whispered, tears blurring her vision. "Don't ever leave me."

He held her closer to his chest. "Never."

* * *

The king collapsed onto his bed. He let out a satisfied groan, feeling the soft sheets beneath him. Catching up on 2 months worth of paperwork and strategizing with his generals on quelling the uprising was pure torture. Still, it was all worth it. He had finally managed to get the kingdom's affairs in order.

He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. Soon, he was nodding off, his mind blank and his even breathing filling the room. The soft breeze through his window ruffled the curtains, allowing the pale moonlight to filter into his room, casting a soft glow around him. Sleep almost claimed him but suddenly, he shot upright, eyes snapping open.

_Erza…_

* * *

_The cold steel slipped through her chest effortlessly, severing the muscles and tissues. She could feel it twisting inside of her, sending waves of numbing pain coursing through her broken body. She could vaguely feel the cold spreading from her fingertips all the way down her arms, yet the burning sensation in her chest clawed at her heart. She wanted to scream, to pull out the weapon but she found herself paralyzed._

_Then the sword was pulled out and she was falling onto the ground, the blood filling her mouth, choking her as the world turned black. She couldn't see or feel anything anymore but she could still hear his howl of pain ringing in her ears as unconsciousness finally swallowed her into the darkness._

Her eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she thought she had gone blind but soon her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she turned her head to the side. A shadowy figure stood there motionless. She could see the mixed emotions swirling in his eyes and she made to get up but he pushed her back down. Erza slumped back in her bed and closed her eyes again, exhaustion claiming her. She groaned and tried to sit up once more. There was a throbbing pain in her chest and her muscles felt weak and tired. Just as she was about to collapse back onto the bed, a gentle hand helped her up from her back and she could feel his strong biceps supporting her head as a glass was placed at her dry lips.

Slowly she drank from the glass, feeling the cool water trickle down her throat, easing the stinging pain in her throat. He lowered her back onto the bed and she looked up at him with blurry eyes and smiled.

He was here.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Guess who's back? **

**I suggest you rereading my fic(s) all over again and then reviewing hahah.**

**I know this is a half ass chapter but I'm just so tired of working on this chapter forever and having you all wait for me like eternity is nothing. So yeah, here you go. I'll try harder next time?**

**Check out my art work for the story btw, by yours truly. (found on my deviantart page, username wolfteam000)**


	20. Reaffirm

**Reaffirm**

She weighed the spear in her hand, feeling the cool steel of the Ten Commandments slowly warming in her palm. It was good to finally be back.

Erza took a deep breath. She was all alone in the clearing, surrounded by tall oak trees, the sunlight filtering through the rustling leaves. The ground beneath her feet crunched as she shifted her weight around.

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

The cool air felt sweet as she inhaled deeply. Taking one last look around her, she started going through the motions slowly.

Being in a coma for two months had led to some muscle atrophy and she had undertaken an intense physiotherapy program for the last four months. It was a rude awakening for her to find that she couldn't perform even the most basic of things such as walking or lifting things. Training and sparring were obviously out of the question. She grimaced at the memories. The feeling of being so useless and helpless still left a bitter taste in her mouth. The great Captain Knightwalker, being reduced to someone even weaker than an average person. Unforgiveable. Still, it was of some consolation that she had only been reduced to such a state because she had fulfilled her duty to protect the king, to protect _him_.

So she had pushed herself in order to speed up the recovery process, doing everything possible. More exercises, longer hours, brutal work regimes, she tried everything. She needed to shake off the hollow feeling that had wormed its way into her heart.

During her first few weeks, she had bullied and tormented her physiotherapists in the hopes of being able to resume duty quickly and within one month, she had already had three different physiotherapists. When the last one had once more submitted to her demands of rushing through the therapy, having been too intimidated to object, Laxus had finally stepped in to personally supervise her.

She soon realised that arguing with Laxus was futile. He could easily overpower her in her current weakened condition, something that she had learnt the hard way. During that one time, her frustration had gotten the better of her and she had thrown a punch at him. Sidestepping her weak attack, the blond had proceeded to twist her arm deftly behind her back in one swift motion and the muscles in her thighs had faltered, sending her onto her knees. When he had released her, she could feel the fatigue sweeping through her entire frame and she couldn't move for a second. Grunting with the effort, he had grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up.

"Now you understand why you have to rebuild your muscles slowly?" He had chided her and she had let out a stream of curses in response.

She knew that he genuinely wanted to help her. Laxus was a good friend. He was dependable, honest and altruistic. His carefree attitude made people want to naturally open up to him and coupled with his uncanny ability to see through people, it was almost enough to make her confess her worries to him. Almost. Her sense of pride was too strong for her to openly display such weakness.

Still, she hated herself for even allowing him to perceive her weakness. She hated that he could see through all of the walls that she had erected around her heart and yet pretend that he couldn't. And it was this feeling, and her pride, that triggered her defence mechanism to fight back, to push back, to push him away.

Laxus had simply laughed at her attempts and continued his good deeds. As the days progressed, the two of them settled into a familiar routine.

They had first started out with the basics, simple exercises such as moving the arms and legs and walking. As time passed, they had moved on to more intense exercises like running and light sparring before finally restarting her training regime.

Erza had fought him every step of the way, often trying to sneak in more rigorous exercises or longer hours. In return, he had pushed back even harder and harder until she had finally relented after a particular incident.

_She twirled the lance between her fingers expertly, feeling the smooth metal roll over in her hands. It cut through the air with a loud whoosh and she extended it forwards with a flourish. Using her momentum, Erza spun around and was about to stab an imaginary enemy when a jolt of pain flashed up her right arm. The sudden numbness caused her to drop her weapon and she watched as it fell to the ground with a loud clatter. _

_Breathing heavily, she flexed her fingers uncertainly and bent down to retrieve her weapon. It was most likely a slip of the hand due to her lack of practice, she thought to herself, pushing away the other thoughts of her condition regressing. With the lance in her hand, she continued with her usual routine. _

_Forwards, left, right, right, stab._

_Backwards, right, left, dodge, strike._

_She sprang forwards, lance raised high when her knee suddenly gave way and she tumbled unceremoniously to the ground. Erza rolled to her side and struggled to her feet. Her fingers curled around the loose dirt on the ground in frustration. It had almost been three months and she was still way below her usual standards._

"_Damn it, damn it, damn it!" _

_She pounded the ground with her fist, her face contorted in rage. Damn it, she felt so weak, so useless. _

"_Knightwalker, it's alright. You're just having a bad day."_

_Her eyes narrowed into slits, unbridled rage gleaming in her eyes and she spun around, throwing her lance at him with all her might._

_Laxus tilted his head slightly, arms crossed at his chest as he looked on with a bored expression, the weapon embedding itself into the tree trunk just next to his head. She had thrown the lance with such force that half of the blade had penetrated into the wood and he could feel the vibrations from the lance shaking the entire tree._

_Well, at least her throwing arm and aim were alright._

_He ruffled his unruly hair lazily, pushing himself off the tree and made his way to her. "Calm down or you'll end up hurting yourself."_

_Blinded by anger, she launched a flurry of attacks at him, allowing the rage to consume her. She knew that she was weak for succumbing to her fury but she didn't want to think. She didn't want to think about her situation. She didn't want to think about _him_._

_The male parried each and every blow and finally, he spun her around and locked her in a hug like grip from behind, effectively trapping her arms. He didn't speak but merely held her as she struggled with all her might against his hold, desperately trying to break free._

_She cursed and swore at him, spouting all kinds of threat that would make a lesser man quiver in his boots, but he did not reply, choosing to restrain her wordlessly. He understood that her pride was taking a real good beating. He knew that she was struggling to come to terms with this 'weakness' and because of that, he held her close to him as she raged against the world._

_After what seemed like an eternity, Erza grew limp in his arms, all of her energy drained from her body. Laxus took a deep breath and released her, wincing at the strained feeling in his biceps. Damn, she was strong, especially when she was fuelled by her infamous temper._

"_Better?"_

_She did not reply. Breathing heavily, she stalked over to retrieve her weapon._

_He stood there, staring at her retreating back. It wasn't just the frustration of feeling 'weak' or not being able to reach her pre-injury fighting standards feeding her anger. It was also aggravation at the whole situation. He could see it in her eyes. It was the confusion at the realisation slowly sinking into her as she started to come to terms with her feelings. It was the disappointment at the fact that Jellal hadn't come to find her. It was the bitterness of someone who was trying too hard to regain what she had lost within too short a period of time._

_The captain shook his head. When would she realise that everything came with time? Why couldn't she see that she had lost nothing that she couldn't regain? _

_He looked up at the blue sky, a frown marring his handsome face._

_Why couldn't she see that she hadn't lost anything when it came to Jellal?_

* * *

They never talked about her near-death incident. He had never approached her about it, often feeling the heavy burden of guilt weighing down on his shoulders.

She had never opened up about it. He needed to learn that it was all part of her duties and that such risks were part and parcel.

He had deliberately thrown himself headfirst into his work just to distract himself from the temptation of guiding her through every step of her recovery. He did not want to seem overbearing and he knew that she would not want him to witness her moment of weakness. The tension between them was palpable. There was some sort of unspoken agreement between them, where they would avoid all contact until she had recovered and resumed her duties, and it was driving him crazy. She would see him in the corridors and turn and leave, seeking another route to her destination. He would catch a glimpse of her scarlet hair and look away, avoiding eye contact. They knew each other's schedules and both would go out of their way to work around each other.

Over time, even these stolen moments were lost. They knew each other too well and evading one another was too easy. But as time dragged on, he felt his self-control starting to waver. He needed to see her with his own eyes to make sure that she was alright. He needed to touch her, to feel her warm body to prove that it was not just a dream, that she was still alive. He needed to hold her and never let her go, because the aching feeling in his chest was eating him alive. Temptation had gnawed at him many times and it had taken him every ounce of willpower to resist the urge to barge into her room and confront her.

So it came as a surprise when she sauntered into the meeting room 4 months later as if nothing had happened and all he could do was stare at her in wonder and disbelief. He had to muster all of his discipline to restrain himself from reaching out and touching her gently on the cheek just to confirm that it was all real.

"Captain…Knightwalker," he breathed, still not quite believing his eyes.

Erza smirked at the shocked faces in the room, eyes lingering on Laxus for a tad longer than the others as he raised a hand in greeting, a lazy smile on his lips, before turning back to her king. "I apologise for my tardiness Your Majesty. Captain Erza Knightwalker, reporting for duty."

Jellal stood up from his chair slowly and shuffled over to her in a semi-trancelike state. "You're back," he murmured.

She nodded, feeling the emotions welling up in her. He looked older, wiser, she mused to herself. Feeling the gaze of the entire room on them, Erza coughed lightly. "I hope I haven't missed too much."

"No, you haven't…" Jellal mumbled as the female captain made her way over to her chair, his eyes never leaving her form.

She hadn't missed much but he had missed her a lot.

* * *

_3 months later..._

"Stop fidgeting man, you look like you're gonna piss your pants or something," Laxus waved a hand dismissively.

Jellal shot him a glare but the blond ignored him pointedly and continued, clearly aware of the distress his friend was in. "Here, let me show you."

With a dramatic sweep of his cape, the captain whirled around in a swirl of black and yellow and knelt down in front of Jellal.

Jellal cocked an eyebrow. He was not amused. "And you're deciding to show me the proper amount of respect now because…" he faltered as the blond took his hand and clasped it between his. "Oh you have got to be kidding me."

Laxus looked up at him in all seriousness. "Jellal, I've been thinking long and hard and I've decided that I want to marry you. I want you to stay by my side for all of eternity."

An awkward silence followed his speech, with Laxus still kneeling and Jellal staring at him, unable to believe the horrors that he was hearing.

"So…that's it?" The king asked slowly.

"Well yeah, what about it?"

Jellal stifled his laughter. "And you expect a girl to fall for that crap?"

Laxus feigned offence but his eyes sparkled mischievously. "I'm hurt, truly. This hurts more than an outright rejection."

A cough sounded behind the both of them. Jellal whipped around as Laxus stared behind him, a large smile forming on his face.

Recognising the intruder, Laxus got to his feet with a dramatic wave of his hand. "No!" He howled. "Our secret's out!" He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, eyes half shut. "Jellal, our secret love is secret no more!"

"Clearly." Jellal deadpanned. "Right. Guess we'll just have to break up then. Sorry Laxus. It was fun while it lasted."

Laxus snickered and Erza rolled her eyes at their antics. "I apologise for interrupting such a private and intimate moment Your Majesty," she smirked at the look of absolute horror spreading across the king's face, "but Byro is looking for Laxus."

Laxus stood up swiftly, snapping to attention. "Duty calls! See you later baby!" He gave a mock salute to Jellal and winked at Erza before making his way to the meeting room.

As Laxus's laughter faded away, the two of them were left standing there, an awkward silence hanging in the air. Erza nodded at Jellal. "If you'll excuse me, Your Majesty."

"Erza, wait."

The sudden seriousness in his voice sent shudders through her and her footsteps faltered for a second before she turned around.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

She looked apprehensive as he approached her. He stood tall, looking down at her and she took a step back instinctively. She needed space and he was standing too close for comfort.

Slowly, without taking his eyes off of hers, he sank down on one knee. Her eye's widened. A king should not kneel before anyone.

"You…what are you doing, get up," she hissed, losing all composure.

Jellal ignored her. With one hand on his knee and the other fisted above his armour were his heart was, he started.

"Erza, I think it's time that I asked you this." His hazel eyes melted into a warm chocolate brown. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Not just as a king and his knight. I want more. I want to stay with you through the good, the bad and the ugly. I want to be there for you every minute of every hour of every day. I want to marry you."

He remained kneeling before her, looking up at her with patient eyes. He had all the time in the world, he could wait for her answer as long as she gave him one.

Erza stared at him, a mixture of emotions raging inside her heart. Longing, because she wanted what he was offering her; love, care, kindness, support. Anger, because the hollow feeling of vulnerability fought bitterly against the positive feelings, and she hated herself for being so weak. She hated _him_ for being so weak. He was a proud king of Edolas and yet he was putting her before Edolas, anchoring himself into submission, and all because of her. In other words, she was holding him back. A part of her wanted to say no, because Edolas was the most important thing in her life, _should_ be the most important thing in their lives. But a little part of her, locked away deep inside the depths of her heart, wanted to say yes. Because she was selfish and she wanted, no, _needed_ him.

Licking her lips, Erza forced herself to look at him one more time. Her eyes flickered to his attire. Jellal was dressed as Mystogan, complete with bandana, mask and cape. For a second, she couldn't understand why her instincts were directing her attention to these details. Then it finally hit her.

He was proposing to her as Mystogan, not the king. Her eyes shot wide open. He was planning on keeping his dual-identity, which meant that she would not become Queen, at least not until his secret had been discovered by the Council. She would be free to continue her life as a soldier, as a captain without the burdens of being Queen of Edolas. He was giving her a way out.

He was also sending her a message. He was telling her that a part of him would always be Mystogan, an Earthland Fairy Tail mage and the prince who had fled Edolas to save it from destruction in the future. He was asking that she accept him for who he was and by baring his soul to her so willingly, when he knew that she held so much power over his heart and mind, it was the ultimate sign of trust from him. He had given his heart to her, with the knowledge that she could crush it at any time she pleased, and slowly over time, she had responded by giving him the key to hers. Even now, she was still unsure if that was a wise move on her part.

Her vision blurred for a second but she focused her attention back on him when he spoke again. This time, she could hear the pleading in his voice, the slight hint at resignation tingeing his tone.

"I can't change the past," Jellal said, almost as if he could see the thoughts in her head. "But it's a completely different matter regarding the future. I want you to be a part of it, not just in a professional capacity, I want more."

He took a breath and continued. "And if…if you say no, then I will respect your decision and I will no longer pursue this matter ever again. If you say no, then I will walk away and we can continue with our lives as if it was all a dream."

She could hear the unspoken statement.

_But if you say no, then I'm not sure how to carry on._

She flinched inwardly when she saw his heart shatter into a million pieces right in front of her.

He shifted his weight slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. "But if you love me, then all I ask is that you stop running. Please. Please stay with me. Don't fight it. Stay with me and don't leave me because," his voice broke slightly, "because I can't do this without you. I can't live like this, seeing you every day but knowing that I can't be with you. Please."

She did not look at him. She couldn't. She couldn't bear to look at him because she knew that she had caused him so much pain, pain so unbearable that even a sadistic murderer like herself felt guilty at accomplishing such a dishonourable feat. Erza knew, oh she knew, how he was resigned to losing her but he was still fighting. She cursed herself for her weakness. She hated feeling so lost, so vulnerable and having to admit that she loved him. She hated it. And she hated him, because of what he represented. He was her weakness, a weakness that she had desperately fought against. But despite her valiant efforts, in the end, she was only human.

Without a word, she walked past him.

* * *

Jellal knelt there, frozen. The blood was pulsing in his ears and his heart was pounding so hard that he was almost certain that she could hear every beat. He had said everything that he could say to convince her. Now it was up to her. And that thought alone terrified him more than anything.

What would he do if she really did refuse? Could he really move on? Could he continue as if nothing had happened? Could he withstand the pain of seeing her every day, working with her on a daily basis and yet not be able to love her? Could he really accept that one day, she would find another man?

He swallowed, his throat dry and with his breathing echoing in his ears. The whole ordeal finally started to sink in and the silence was killing him as resignation settled within his heart. He had nearly lost her when she had nearly died for him. Now he felt like he was losing her all over again.

He loved her so much. On one hand, it was like this most wonderous feeling of something expanding in his chest, threatening to explode and overwhelm him. But on the other hand, it felt as if she was standing in front of his kneeling form, twisting the knife lodged in his chest before ripping his heart clean from his chest. And during those times, he wanted nothing more than to sever the blood vessels and give it to her so that the pain would go away.

He looked up at her, eyes desperately searching her face for any signs. Hesitation flickered in her eyes and his heart clenched when fear entered the mixture.

Calm, he needed to remain calm.

He had played the scenario in his head so many times and although his head was unsure as to how she would react, his heart told him that she would accept. And it was this misguided sense of optimism that left him stunned as she breezed past him wordlessly.

Jellal bit back a gasp. Disappointment and pain flooded him and he held his breath in order to control his shaking. He had promised her that he would walk away if she rejected his proposal and the mere thought shook him as he fought back tears. He didn't need to make things more complicated and difficult between them.

She brushed past him and his grip tightened against his knee, his head bowed. Hot tears spilled down his cheeks. His entire frame shook as he inhaled deeply, blinking away the tears. He couldn't breath. He tried to swallow the heavy lump in his throat, biting at his lower lip to prevent any noise from escaping him.

God, he had been so stupid. Why did he think that he ever had a chance?

Stupid, stupid, _stupid_.

And so lost was he in his thoughts that his eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat when she spoke again.

* * *

She brushed past him.

He was still on one knee, head bowed as if he was too afraid to look at her.

Erza continued on her way, too afraid to look at him either. _She_ didn't see his eyes squeeze shut in barely concealed pain. She didn't see the tears spilling down his cheeks. She didn't see his body shake with controlled sadness.

But _he_ didn't see the ghost of a smile on her face. He didn't see the blush creeping up her neck. He didn't see the content in her eyes, having come to terms with her feelings, as she walked past him and spoke softly, so softly that he nearly missed it.

"Yes."

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Seriously guys, 6 updates in a little more than 1 month? I'm spoiling you guys rotten.**

**I actually finished this a few days ago but I needed to wait for the date to turn to the 25th so I had to post this after 3am (thanks west coast). Anyway, so like Mirime offered to write something for anyone who sent her a prompt/pairing since it's her birthday today (25****th**** September). I was sorely tempted but didn't think it was really fair since it's **_**her**_** birthday so I decided to give something to her. And here it is, happy birthday Mirime (if you're still reading this hahaha). What better way to finish such an old Mystwalker fanfic than by giving it to **_**the**_** veteran of the fandom? Have a good one.**

* * *

**Well there we go, final chapter and Retribution is finally over after 3 long years, let's ignore the fact that I was on hiatus for 2 of those 3 years. Started this story when there were only around 30 Jerza fics and 10 Mystwalker fics. Now, see how far we've come? **

**Old readers, thanks for staying with me. New readers, go check out my other stories hahaha. I have gotten the sequel planned out already so look out for it. I guess I'm a bit reluctant to call it a sequel because it's going to be a much darker story (you can read it as a completely separate story) and I'm going to try out another style (I guess something similar to Outlines). I mean, I feel like I've matured enough as a writer since 3 years ago to be able to focus more on character development and the emotional aspect of the story rather than being so action plot-driven. I look back at this story and just see loads of plot holes and lack of character development so that's something I'd like to work on. **

**I guess it's still kind of like a sequel since it's a continuation of the world created in Retribution and explores the next step of their relationship. I guess you could keep in mind that it's sort of a sequel but it would be best if you pretended that another author is writing it? I dunno. **

**Here's just an extra for your entertainment. These were just some crazy and stupid bits I made up with Hikari on Skype. Don't take them seriously.**

* * *

**Bloopers:**

**Marriage proposal**

**Take #1**

Slowly, without taking his eyes off of hers, he sank down on one knee. Her eye's widened. A king should not kneel before anyone.

"You…what are you doing, get up," she hissed, losing all composure.

Jellal ignored her. With one hand on his knee and the other fisted above his armour were his heart was, he started.

"Erza, I think it's time that I asked you this." His hazel eyes melted into a warm chocolate brown. "Will you marry me?"

She stared at him in shock, mouth open with surprise. Seeing her lack of verbal response, he continued.

"That's a stupid question I guess. You're a mean, cruel, sadistic bitch but you're hot. You're one of the best fighters in Edolas, you're loyal and of noble blood. That makes us a perfect match."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I feel like I'm talking to myself now."

Without a word, she walked past him.

"WOMAN GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

**Take #2**

"Erza Knightwalker, will you marry me?"

"What, no elaborate flowers and diamonds and necklaces and other expensive products? Come on, you're the King of Edolas, can't you afford some damn roses?"

"You were never a shallow materialistic woman, I thought you wouldn't like such frivolous things."

"Oh so you just didn't want to waste money on things for me."

"Because they're frivolous? Well I didn't think you would want any."

"And what is this proposal? Whimsical?"

"Spontaneous obviously."

"How can I give myself to a man that spontaneously proposes to women? Sure, I give my sword to you in battle but that's only because you don't spontaneously start wars with other nations."

"My apologies, would you like me to try again? Only if you're going to say yes, please don't waste my time."

"Why don't you try and find out?"

- #$%^&*-

-Coughs-

-Leg is cramping-

"Erza Knightwalker. After much consideration…"

"No."

"What? I haven't even asked yet!"

"Surprise…"

"Please don't tell me you're pregnant. I'm sure we both used protection, or at least I did."

"Oh please, you're about as fertile as that piece of wood over there."

"But, but I need an heir!"

"Blame yourself for not having strong swimmers."

"Why…you…I...why am I proposing again?"

-Sigh-

"Anyway, will you marry me?"

"Sure, why not."

"Oh um right."

"What now?"

"Hmm, I haven't planned that far ahead actually."

"Oh, do you want me to reject you then? That's okay with me too."

"No. NO."

* * *

**Yeah no, don't let me near Skype or let me rp, guys. See the atrocity that has spawned from my crazy Skype convos?**


End file.
